Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Effective prayer”
Our Bible verse for today: “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it is in your power to act.” Proverbs 3:27 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Pray for wisdom to know who to help, when to help, and how to help.”
Most Christians I know are kind, compassionate and generous. They are people who truly care about others and who are willing and eager to help those in need. But the fact is that there’s a world full of need. Nobody can give to every cause and nobody can be everywhere all the time doing everything for everyone.
Sometimes it seems as if there’s a homeless person with a cardboard sign standing at every major intersection in town. Do you give money to all of them? If you do you’ll quickly be broke. There are hungry children in refugee camps in Somalia, church buildings that need to be built in Sierra Leone, Bibles that need to be distributed in China, and the list goes on. You can’t give to all of those causes, so how do you decide?
Likewise, there are endless ways in which you can invest your time and energy helping others. But you only have so much time and energy you can give. Where do you draw the line and how to you make those decisions? Proverbs 3 contains several principles that are helpful in sorting through this very common dilemma.
First, as a starting place, verse 27 tells us that if the Lord has brought this issue to your attention, that’s a pretty good indication that He might want you to do something about it. However, the Proverbs are mostly principles that provide basic guidelines, not direct commands intended to apply verbatim in every situation. Discretion and discernment is still needed.
Second, in verses 9-10, we’re told to honor the Lord with our wealth. In other words, we are to use some of what He blessed us with as a means of blessing others. I would argue that this includes not just our money, but also our time and our skills.
Third, verses 5-6 show us how all of this ties into the subject of effective prayer:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
In other words, take the situation to God in prayer. Ask Him to help you understand who He wants you to help, how He wants you to help them, and when He wants you to help them.
Then make the best decision you can and just walk it out. Don’t wait for a handwritten message from God to appear in the clouds; and don’t expect an audible voice to boom out specific instructions. If the situation involves a person in need of assistance – be it money, food, or your time and assistance – it’s probably time sensitive and therefore will require prompt action on your part if you are going to be used by God in this situation.
So to sum up, God has brought the situation to your attention; you have considered whether or not you have the assets or the skills to be of assistance if God so directs; and you have prayed about it. Now make your best decision, yes or no, and just do what you believe God has told you to do. And if you believe the answer is “no”, it’s ok, don’t second-guess yourself. You can’t do everything for everyone, and God doesn’t expect you to.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 