Give To the Poor

(Luke 11:41 NLT) So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over. 

In this verse Jesus is challenging the Pharisees and religious leaders of his day. They were so absorbed with their religious fanaticism, that they forgot about the very reason for serving God. That God is the one who reaches down to those who cannot help themselves. And those who claim to follow him must also be those kind of people who seek to help those who cannot help themselves.

The thing that surprises me most about this verse is how even religious devotion can be an idol in our lives. We can look to our own devotion as some sort of acceptability before God and feel that we have arrived based on our works.

Jesus calls them hypocrites. That they are playing apart. They look religious but deep down inside there is nothing about them that reflects the character and nature of the God they claim to serve. 

Who can't possibly be challenged by this verse? Jesus indeed had many admonitions for people to care and serve those who are in most need. The mark of the early church in acts chapters 2 and four was that there were no needy persons among them. Everyone shared with a hat with everyone else. 

We talk about religious revival and the Holy Spirit moving in our churches, but do we really understand what it looked like in the beginning when that happened?

Some churches believe the Holy Spirit revival will result in longer worship services and more charismatic singing or preaching. Some believe revival is when many people are converted to the Lord. Some believe revival is when crime and godlessness decrease.

But don't forget the first revival in the churches history. That when the Holy Spirit truly filled the early followers of Jesus everyone took care of everyone else. There was no community like that.

The heart of God is equal concern for one another. That is what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit of God. Not religious presentation, or impressive services, or very long prayers or sermons. But rather a community of concern and compassion for each other.

PRAYER
Father, help me to adopt in my heart the things that are in your heart. Give me a discerning heart to understand who truly needs what I have to offer. Have me to see them as you see them. Help me to be more like Jesus in my care and compassion for those who have nothing.

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