Caring: July 21, 2014

TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY JULY 21, 2014.

CARING

DEFINITION:

To be concerned; to desire to make provision; to watch over.

SCRIPTURE:

If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. I Timothy 5:8.

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. James 1:27.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
These scriptures remind us that we have a responsibility to care, both physically and spiritually for our fellow people. Timothy reminds us of our responsibility to care for those in our family. Also James reminds us that we are instructed to CARE for the orphans, the widows, the hungry, the poor and needy.

After Saul and his sons were killed in a battle with the Philistines, David became King. David asked, "Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake." II Samuel 9:2. David was told that there was only Mephibosheth. He was the son of Jonathan and crippled in both his feet. David immediately sent for him.

Mephibosheth came before David in great fear because he knew that his grandfather, Saul, was jealous of David and had sought to kill him. After reassuring Mephibosheth to not be afraid, David said, "I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father, Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather, Saul, and you will always eat at my table." (II Samuel 9:7) All the rest of his life Mephibosheth sat at David's table like one of his sons. David showed he cared by his action of kindness. When we truly care we will act upon it.

God instructed the children of Israel under Moses, when they were wandering in the desert, that they were to take care of their families, and not only their families but also the widows, the fatherless and their neighbors. Caring for others does not come readily for most people. God continually cares about each one of us and has instructed all of us to care for others.

Paul gets straight to the point in I Timothy 5:8, saying to us that if we do not provide for our own family and relatives we deny our faith and we are worse than unbelievers. Faith that is not accompanied by action is dead.  

It has always been those who love God who have done the most to care for those who are lonely, hungry and needy. When a disaster hits some part of the world it is always the Christian groups that are there first to help. The closer you are to God, the more you will have a heart for others and caring for others will become more natural to you.

As those who love the Lord, loving and caring for others should be our major life's work and caring for those of our "own house" is our highest priority.

All of our lives we have had the privilege to work with missions where we have been able to help care for the poor and needy. It began over 50 years ago when we were in Korea with the assignment to set up over 140 orphanages for World Vision to take care of the abandoned "GI" babies after the Korean War. In later years we helped care for the children living in the slums and in refugee camps in Africa.

Our hearts were broken when we saw children in Honduras dying with cancer with no medical equipment or medicine. We could not help but to get them equipment and medicine to show that we cared for them. These few examples that moved our hearts hopefully will be enough to challenge you to care for someone you meet today that has a need and is waiting for you to care for them.

We have experienced that there is great joy in caring for others and being able to do something to make their lives better. The blessing is always ours when we help someone else. You do not have to go to Africa, Korea or Honduras. There are people living on your street and in your town that are hurting and waiting for someone like you to help.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 8:28.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

PRAYER:

Help me to be a caring person that You can use. Keep me alert to the concerns of my family first and then to my neighbors and friends. Give me the strength and discernment to be that caring person that honors You to those that need care today.