Enduring Help

Luke 14
v.12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 
v.13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 
v.14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

The desire for fellowship is ingrained in us. We enjoy the give and take of company, conversation, good food. These are times that refresh us and sustain us. But it is not where we can safely or easily stay and dwell, any more than we can safely stay in bed all day and remain healthy physically and fiscally.

God sends us into the world to minister and be His hands of blessing outstretched, His words of encouragement and hope spoken, His handiwork seen and read by all. As rangers on a mountain park, we are sent to give aid and rescue when needed, advice and recommendation when asked about conditions and routes. Just as others have given us a hand up when we were stuck at a hard place on our climb up the mountain, we cannot disregard the hands of those within our reach who need an assist.

Sadly, not all who need an assist will accept it. Some want to stay where they are, some have decided they prefer the valley or feel a different mountain is where they will go. God does not require that we turn people back or force people to move upward; He only requires that we offer the help.

Ezekiel 2
v.4 The people to who I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says.'
v.5 And whether they listen or fail to listen -- for they are a rebellious house -- they will know that a prophet has been among them.
v.6 And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house.
v.7 You must speak my words to them , whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious.

We encounter many people as we go, people both willing and unwilling to hear and accept God's words of love, encouragement, guidance, direction. Our commission is to bring the truth of God's love and concern to them, trusting God to watch over His word to perform the miracle of change in a person's nature. It may involve us giving a word, planting a seed, and someone else reaping the harvest, or we may be the one who walks miles beside a person, upholding them in prayer, continuing in spiritual battle for them as they work through their issues.

Hebrews 3
v.13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
v.14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.

God only asks that we endure, persist, continue in service. We do that by fellowship with God in the Spirit through constant conversation with Him, in the Word through reading it and thinking on it and speaking it, in the Body by regular fellowship with one or more believers through whom we can have Christ in the midst of us.

We give ourselves to the service of the kingdom, Lord, that You have called us to and equipped us for, to be poured forth as a sacrifice acceptable to You. We find no loss in giving what we cannot keep to gain that which we cannot lose. Help us to keep the joy of the eternal vivid in our sights that we not be distracted by the immediate, gladly giving without recompense knowing the greater reward comes later. We honor You, God, for You are the One who gives "the wine that gladdens the heart of man, the oil to make his face shine, and the bread that sustains his heart." You meet our needs willingly and graciously and we respond in faith and trust and gratitude. Praise You, Lord!

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