If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? James 2:15, 16.
Any neglect of duty to the needy and to the afflicted is a neglect of duty to Christ in the person of His saints. When the cases of all come in review before God, the question What did they profess? is never asked, but, What have they done? Have they been doers of the Word? Have they lived for themselves? or have they been exercised in works of benevolence, in deeds of kindness, in love preferring others before themselves, and denying themselves that they might bless others? If the record shows that this has been their life, that their characters have been marked with tenderness, self-denial, and benevolence, they will receive the blessed assurance and benediction from Christ, “Well done.” …
Our spiritual strength and blessing will be proportionate to the labor of love and good works which we perform. The injunction of the apostle is, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). Keeping the commandments of God requires of us good works, self-denial, self-sacrifice, and devotion for the good of others, not that our good works alone can save us, but that we surely cannot be saved without good works. After we have done all that we are capable of doing we are then to say, We have done no more than our duty, and at best are unprofitable servants, unworthy of the smallest favor from God. Christ must be our righteousness. . . .
All around us there are those who have soul hunger and who long for love expressed in words and deeds. Friendly sympathy and real feelings of tender interest for others would bring to our souls blessings that we have never yet experienced, and would bring us into close relation to our Redeemer, whose advent to the world was for the purpose of doing good, and whose life we are to copy. What are we doing for Christ?
That I May Know Him p. 334
“““““““““““““““““““““`
Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for my sister-in-law, she has 6 mo’s to live. Give her and us peace with this. Let her go peaceably. John
—– M&M, friends of ours, are leaving this week for Africa please pray that they have a safe trip, and a successful one in soul winning. they were there two years ago an the brethren invited them to come back to hold meeting and show them how to witness and share God’s word. M
—–Pray for Dorina that God will supply all of her schooling needs. SB
““““““““““““““““
Dear Friends,
When I first began going to church, a group of us would go to a nursing home in the afternoon after church to sing for the elderly residents there. The odor of stale urine hung thickly in the air, the residents were dirty and unkempt. It was an awful place.
Years later, Ron and I worked in an extended care facility that was somewhat better, yet our heart went out to the patients there. They really wanted to go home, yet it seemed their family had largely abandoned them. The CNA’s often made fun of the patients or sadly neglected them. We felt very sorry for their plight.
Over the years, I have had little patience with anyone who put their loved one in a nursing home (even a good nursing home). I felt that they were selfish and inconsiderate of their dear one’s desires and needs. I declared loud and long that I would never do such a thing. Caring for family at home was the right thing to do and I would do what was right. I would never allow my loved one to be placed in the care of others.
How careful we need to be in our judgement of others. Many times He Who said, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again,” places us in a situation where we must do that very thing for which we had criticized others. Matt 7:1, 2 After trying to care for my ailing mother at home while still working full time, I had to make the agonizing decision to place her in a nursing facility. She had come to the point that we could no longer care for her at home even with a person coming in to help while we were at work.
Although Ron and I looked for the best place we could find, it still went against everything we believed in. It was overwhelming and stressful beyond anything I had imagined. I shed many tears. I said many prayers for God’s leading.
Each evening, as I visited my mother, I had the opportunity to see family members of some of the residents there and their interaction with them. Faithfully, each evening they helped their dear one in various ways. Tenderly, they did what they could to make them comfortable. Suddenly, I realized that often others who have put their loved ones in such a place had not wanted to do it any more than I had. They also had agonized over their decision. They also had been in a situation where caring for their family member at home became too difficult or impossible. It also was a heart- wrenching decision for them.
This experience taught me much about how I view the things others do and say. It has shown me many things about myself that I had not realized was even there. It taught me to be much kinder in my estimation of those around me and how they react to their situation.
May we never wrap our “self-righteous robes” about ourselves looking “down our noses” at others for the decisions they make. May we be kind and loving to those around us, helping them bear their burdens as Paul says, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” Phil 2:3, 4 May we be as our Dear Saviour Who “went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” is my prayer. Acts 10:38
Rose