Eyes Wide Open

Scripture:
Deuteronomy 15:10 & 11 — “You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings. For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’”
 
Observation:
Money. Wealth. It can be a blessing or a curse. It’s easy to look at others that appear to be better off wonder what it must be like to be them. Why didn’t you get the breaks to get to their level? God wanted the Israelites to understand that although there were differences, He cared for all of them as His people. Who are the poor? How did they get that way? When we begin to look for reasons or blame the poor for their condition, it becomes easy to close our eyes to them. We think they should be taking care of themselves. After all we live in America and there are plenty of ways to help ourselves. We can take the approach of “out of sight out of mind,” but they are always on God’s mind. God makes a point of saying that there will always be poverty around us and that it is our responsibility to care for them. God adds that if we take care of the poor, He will take care of us and bless us. Our attitude toward giving is much more important than the amount. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “God loves a cheerful giver.”
 
Application:
God can change our heart toward people. I needed an attitude adjustment. For the longest time I lived out at the Reservoir and really just ignored what was happening in Jackson. It was easy to avoid Jackson. I could shop, eat and get anything I needed and never have to go there. About a year ago God began to convict me about Jackson and wrote in my prayer journal that I didn’t know what that looked like, but that we needed to do something. Since that time God has opened my eyes to the people of the city. I had always just looked at the city and seen it as a problem, until I spent time there. I realized that God was working in the city. He loves the people of Jackson and wants me to love them. I have come to love God’s workers and the people they are serving. I still have thoughts about how the poor got that way, but God has helped me to see that the why doesn’t matter to Him. He wants me to be involved.

Prayer:
God, I want to thank you for the changes that you have made in my heart toward your people. I pray that you continue to change me, to allow me to see others through your eyes. Give me a humble spirit and a loving attitude in serving others.

— David Hardin, community missions pastor