Will I do my part?

Will I do my part?

Daily Reading:  Proverbs 31

Scripture Focus: Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. (Proverbs 31.8-9)

Devotional Thought: In his book Suicide of the West Jonah Goldberg provides evidence for the greatly improved situation of humanity in the last 300 years due to the appearance of democracy and capitalism.  One of the weaknesses of market-based economies, however, is that some people get left behind, forgotten.  The writers of Proverbs remind us that God's people must remember them!  We want the government or the church to take care of the needs around us, abdicating ourselves of responsibility.  Or we say, "The need is so great, and the issues so complicated.  What can I do?"

I think the first order of business might be to identify who are the mute - those without a voice?  Who are the poor and needy - those without adequate resources?  Who are the destitute - those without the ability or opportunity to even access those resources?  I can think of several...

·        The sick or aged or young

·        The preborn in the womb

·        The unemployed or unemployable

·        The refugee or displaced citizen

·        The addict or prisoner

·        The marginalized or outcast

·        Even, for those of us in Christ, the sinner

The second thing I need to do is ask" What can I do to help?"  In these verses three things are mentioned:

·        Open our mouths for the mute.  The principle is to personally do for them what they cannot do for themselves. 

·        Judge righteously.  We all, like Job's friends, have a tendency to blame others for their situations.  We need to stop judging and start helping!

·        Defend their rights. The front line of their defense is us!  When the early church saw a need, they didn't seek help from the government, they sold their lands and gave!

What are you doing about it?

Prayer: Jesus, you paid a debt you did not owe and I owe a debt I could not pay.  You didn't ask anybody else to go to the cross.  You went there to pay my debt for sin.  Help me to be like you.  Amen.

Psalm of the Day:  7 He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth. 8 He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, 9 the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, 10 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, 11 saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance." 12 When they were few in number, of little account, and sojourners in it, 13 wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people, 14 he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account, 15 saying, "Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!" (Psalms 105:7-15)