Open Heaven 1 December
MEMORISE: “But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: promised to them that love him.” – (Mathew 6:3)
BIBLE READING: Mathew 6:1-4
1. Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them; otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth;
4. That thine alms may be in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
Read yesterday’s Open Heaven Devotional here
Some people may think that Christian Social Responsibility (CSR) is a twenty-first century concept, but that is not so. In fact, CSR has been in existence since the Old Testament days. I encourage you to read Leviticus 19:9-10; you will see from that scripture that social responsibility had already been entrenched in the law of sowing and reaping among the children of Israel, and by extension children of Abraham in the faith.
When you cater for the poor, you are ministering deliverance to yourself; indeed Psalm 41:1 says that for anyone who does this, “…the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.” Be they financial, physical, spiritual, marital, or career troubles, God will deliver you when you help the less privileged. When the widow of Zarephath was giving her last meal to the prophets she could not have known that she would be reaping deliverance from starvation for the next three and a half years, for herself and her household.
Psalm 41:2 also says the Lord will preserve those who remember the poor and keep them alive. Thus, if you want long life, one of the surest ways of getting it is by giving to the poor. Today’s Scripture reading tells us how best to execute our CSR projects before the Lord. God’s way of doing CSR is such that we do not seek the commendation of men like the people of the world, especially when politicians want people’s votes.
When we engage in charitable deeds and then invite the media to broadcast it so we can receive commendation from the world, we are doing the direct opposite of what Jesus wants. I spoke extensively on this in one of my telecasts during the COVID-19 Pandemic early last year. According to Matthew 6:2, we lose our eternal reward when we advertise our acts of social responsibility just because we seek human commendation. However, when we do our social responsibility Jesus’ way, our reward is eternal. Matthew 6.4 says: …and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
Beloved, remember the poor around you and be sure to put a smile on the face of at least one person in need today. As you do, don’t forget to do it Christ’s way. God will bless you abundantly as you do, in Jesus’ name.
PRAYER POINT: Father, as I go about doing what You ask of me today, please help me not to miss my blessings, in Jesus’ name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Habakkuk
Thank you for studying today’s Open Heaven – Christian Social Responsibility – written by Pastor Enoch A.
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Open Heaven 1 December 2021
