October 1
Internal Father, Who can be compared with You, thank You for all Your care, provisions, protections, and love upon us all through the month of September and we have the assurance that You will go all the way with us in this new month. Thank You for sleeping in September and waking up in October. Praise God.
Beloved, you are welcome to a new month, our month of “Lifting” (Ps 121:1-3). The Lord is set to lift some many of us up from where life had abandoned us and He is making us kings and queens He planned from creation. I was so excited when the Lord revealed His agenda for the ministry this month, so like in the time past please do not neglect prophesy, is so important we key into it and claim what the Lord had already done for us. Even as a Nation, the Lord lifted us up this month several years ago of which we are celebrating up until now.
Someone is being lifted from dungeon to palace, someone is leaving that sick bed to your dream career, someone is getting over failure to success. Someone is receiving a phone call that will turn your life ever for good.
This month of October is our welfare month in the ministry. It kicked off last year and God helping us we are going to be reaching out to many people around us who are really in need of support to keep going in life.
We have some names on our list and will keep adding as the Lord lead them to us. So we will encourage you to donate freely to dedicated account on the website to empower us as a ministry to bless those in need. So please I plead with us to make this month a real blessing to families and individuals around us.
We that are blessed with our hands should appreciate and be grateful to God who blessed us and don’t forget that there is nothing you have that you were not given. As I was doing a studying on this very topic “giving”, the Holy Spirit revealed to me that the Rich were blessed to blessed the poor among them, they are to be God that these people are seeing not to be seen as lazy but to be encourage by them (Jer 19:23-24). But that is not usually the case; I have seen people treat their fellows as if they are less human.
Beloved, it can be the other way round and how will you feel if you are treated that way. Don’t forget that the hands that give is always on top; so you are not missing anything at all rather you are in command. Am sure you are getting the message.
Someone said if you want to harvest your seed in the next three months plant a corn; you want to harvest within six months you plant yam; harvest in one year; plant a cassava; harvest in 3-4 years plant cocoa but if you want harvest for a life time please invest in people. We are called to give freely:
You have received free of charge; give free of charge.—Matthew 10:8b
There is no room for misers in God’s kingdom. When we begin to struggle in giving what we have to others, we have forgotten where we received our possessions. Every good thing we have ever received has come from God (James 1:17).
All that we have acquired has been dependent upon His grace (1 Cor. 4:7). Job accurately summarized our condition: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, / And naked shall I return there. / The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; / Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).
We easily assume a sense of ownership of our possessions, as if they were things we earned ourselves, thereby giving us a right to them. Jesus reminds us to be prepared to give our possessions as freely and joyfully as we received them. It should be a pleasure for us to give what we have to others (2 Cor. 9:7).
We ought to be a conduit through whom the Lord can pour His blessings, knowing we will disperse them to everyone around us. Sometimes we claim we are trying to be good stewards of our resources when actually we are being selfish.
If you struggle to give freely to others, you have become more attached to the gift than to the Giver. The account of the rich young ruler shows the tragedy of becoming too attached to worldly treasures (Luke 8:18–24). Meditate on all that your Lord has given to you (John 3:16). Resolve to express your gratitude to Him through your giving. So let us recount or review how we relate to the poor in the past and be determined to do it better going forward (the script you are about read was adopted from FOTM) and am sure you will blessed:
How Are We To Relate To The Poor?
The other morning as I walked from my guest house out to the street to catch a ride, I passed by a family of five sleeping on a cardboard mat. Throughout the day I was plagued by the memory of that family.
The next morning I again passed this family who were just rising from their night on the street. A short distance away I noticed a street vendor dispensing bowls of food to passersby. Motioning to the family, I asked if they might be interested in eating breakfast. Without hesitation they ran toward me to take up my offer. Moments later, as they were devouring their food, I caught a ride and was off to a hotel for a breakfast appointment. On a whim, while waiting for my guest, I picked up a copy of the British news magazine, The Economist.
It then occurred to me that the cost of purchasing the magazine was about the same as feeding that family of five. For the family, sharing my loose change meant a few hours of relief from hunger; for me it spelled a couple of hours of informed reading.
I don’t know about you, but I am vexed when it comes to the issue of the poor. If I loved them as myself, would I have as many toys? Or live at a level so excessively beyond such economically marginalized people? Just how do I process Jesus’ statement:
“Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.“ (Luke 12:33, 34)
Certainly God will reward us if we reach out to the poor, and punish us if we don’t:
“He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.“ (Proverbs 28:27) (See also Deuteronomy 15:10; Proverbs 19:17; Psalm 41:1-4; Isaiah 58:7; James 2:14-26)
Four truths come to mind as I wrestle through this difficult issue:
1. Jesus did not attempt to meet everyone’s needs. (John 5:1-8)
2. Helping others is to be on a priority basis. (Galatians 6:10)
3. Surely I must help others if I possess the capability. (Proverbs 3:27, 28; 1 John 3:16-18)
4. Jesus placed high value on sacrificial giving. (Mark 12:41-44)
QUESTION: When we do meet Jesus at the Judgment, will He view our earthly sojourn as one characterized by greed, or generosity? (1 Corinthians 5:9, 10) (See also Romans 14:10; Galatians 6:7; Ephesians 6:8; Colossians 3:24, 25)
Once again welcome to your month of “Lifting”, we are moving on to our next levels, remember the Lord said “as far as your eyes can see, you will possess”. Are you ready; are you prepare to move and go as the Lord will be directing you?
Remain blessed in the Lord.
Evang. Ifeoma Ohondu.
