rl69
03-06-2017, 07:24 AM
The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.—Proverbs 11:25 (http://harvest.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=4f108f827aed8d503b5fca9fa&id=acd9ac2b11&e=3dd732485b)All too often, Christians in our culture can become narcissistic and self-absorbed, always talking about their needs and problems. Meanwhile, there are people facing a certain judgment.
God addressed this problem in Isaiah 58, where His people were complaining of spiritual dryness, deadness, and unanswered prayer, even though they were observing outward ordinances like prayer and fasting. God said, “This is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help” (Isaiah 58:6–7).
The passage goes on to say, “Then your salvation will come like the dawn. . . . The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring” (verses 8, 11).
Effectively God was saying, “Though you are doing all of these outward things, you have become too focused on yourselves. All you are thinking about is yourself. Here’s what I have asked you to do: Reach out to other people. And then when you get your priorities right, your soul will be like a watered garden, and I will satisfy your soul in dryness.”
What a wonderful promise. The key is giving out. If you are generous in giving out what God has given to you, He will replenish you in the process. We as believers have a choice: Give out or stagnate, evangelize or fossilize, give out what God has given to us, or hoard it, stagnate, and miss out on being used by Him.
God addressed this problem in Isaiah 58, where His people were complaining of spiritual dryness, deadness, and unanswered prayer, even though they were observing outward ordinances like prayer and fasting. God said, “This is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help” (Isaiah 58:6–7).
The passage goes on to say, “Then your salvation will come like the dawn. . . . The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring” (verses 8, 11).
Effectively God was saying, “Though you are doing all of these outward things, you have become too focused on yourselves. All you are thinking about is yourself. Here’s what I have asked you to do: Reach out to other people. And then when you get your priorities right, your soul will be like a watered garden, and I will satisfy your soul in dryness.”
What a wonderful promise. The key is giving out. If you are generous in giving out what God has given to you, He will replenish you in the process. We as believers have a choice: Give out or stagnate, evangelize or fossilize, give out what God has given to us, or hoard it, stagnate, and miss out on being used by Him.