In my book, The Kingdom According to Jesus, I write about how some church folk wrongly use John 12:7-8 as an excuse to do nothing to help the poor in their community, but they take that scripture out of the context in which it was spoken. (Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”). I’m so thankful for the many who minister to the needy and the poor, utilizing their time, talent, and treasure. They get what it’s all about and are truly following Christ in a point-of-need ministry.
I look forward to the day when a justice revival sweeps the land and every church is actively involved in helping the needy and the poor in their community. I pray that it happens in our day. I pray that it happens in this generation.
Beloved, don’t forget the needy and the poor today. The LORD has not. They are close to His heart.
SCRIPTURE:
“For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever” (Psalms 9:18).
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, I don’t understand why some are poor while others are wealthy. I refuse today to begrudge the wealthy—that is not the answer. Instead, I choose today to pray for a justice revival to sweep the land. Lift up churches full of Christ-followers who will be more concerned about the needy and the poor in their communities than they are with their facilities along with the programs and events designed to bring people into them. Do it in my day, LORD. Do it in this generation. We are in desperate need of it to happen. Use my life as a catalyst. Open my eyes and show me what I can do today. I pray in Jesus’s name. Amen.
(The above is excerpted from the book, Be Encouraged: A Daily Devotional, Volume 2, by Gregory A. Johnson. Copyright © by Gregory A. Johnson. All rights reserved. For a complete list of books, visit amazon.com/author/gregoryjohnson).
Know that you are loved,
gaj