February 23: Luke 6 23-26

Key Verse: Luke 6 25
Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

Devotion:
There is always another side to the coin… we were reminded yesterday how God is willing to bless all those who are in need, those who are poor, those who are weak and those who are struggling. The other side of the coin points to those who have all they need, more money than they need, more food than they need and who are not willing to step forward and offer help to those who have not…

To these, God issues a warning. The poor and needy will rejoice and leap for joy because they will have everything they need in heaven, but those who have been spoiled here on earth will not be spoiled in heaven. The rich are warned they have already received their comfort because they have spent it all on themselves. Those who have had more food than they needed have eaten all they could. Those who have laughed at the expense of others have had their laughs.

The kingdom of God is based on holiness and justice! That means there is no place for sin no matter how small or insignificant we think it may be. That sin may be the ignorance we feigned about other who were in need, the things we held back from others when we saw them in need, the things we overlooked because it did not please us to look at them. We may think of ourselves as being upright people – and that we may well be. But what are we ignoring around us.

Look to the people around you. Don’t just glance but look long and hard. Do you realise what is going on in your communities? Are you turning a blind eye to the needs of the few in your community? God wants us to have open eyes, open hearts and be willing to see and hear exactly what is going on around us. He wants us to step forward and make a difference to those people we have ignored in the past. He wants us to show people how great the Kingdom of Heaven is going to be by being His examples right here and right now!

Points to Ponder:
How do you look at the poor people?

Are you willing to make a difference?