Long ago there lived a very rich man. He was so wealthy he could buy anything he wanted. His palace,beautifully adornned with all sorts of luxury items,was the largest building for miles. He was able to eat whatever his heart desired. His clothes were stylish and clean,and he had numerous servants. In all his life,he never knew a day of want.On the street in front of his mansion lived a poor beggar. The only clothes he had were the ones on his back,and they were tattered. His hair was long and scraggly, and he was quite sick. His body was covered with sores,so terrible and ozzing that the street dogs came and licked them. Ever day he would sit in front of the gates of the rich mans estate,begging for scraps of food.Then one day the poor begger died,and angels carried him to Gods paradise.. In time, the rich man also died. He went to hell. He is there to this day,crying out in desperation for just one drop of water to cool his tongue.The response he gets is always the same:You enjoyed your luxurious life on earth without one throught about the helpless,defenseless begger who sat by your gates.Now see what has happened. You will suffer in hell and Lazarus, the man you neglected, is in paradise with God. He will live in absolute delight forever, and nothing can take this from him. Likewise, nothing can change this terrible fate of yours; it is sealed (Luke 16:19-25)Obviously, I haxe paraphrased the story Jesus told in Luke 16. Please dont misunderstand; the rich man did not go to hell simply because he was rich. If we look through the bible,there are many people like Abraham,Joseph,and David who were all exceeddingly rich, even ruling kingdoms and dynasties, and they were completely devoted to God. Their riches did not lead them to their eternal destination. Likewise,it was not poverty sent Lazarus to heaven. The reality is, it is not the physical or the obvious externals that become the reason why one goes to heaven, but rather a relationship with God manifested in choices made. The rich mans uncaring attitude toward the poor and suffering revealed his life apart from God. If he knew God in reality and walked with him, he would have cared for Lazarus.It is plain throughout the bible that God doesnt want us to to ignore the poor, the defenseless, the hungry or the hurting.. Look at Acts 10, where we read the story of a Gentile named Cornelius, a devout man who fear God. Two additional things are written about him.He prayed continually and gave alms generously to the people. The inward heart of corneliues,the devout,God fearing part,was displayed outwardly in his generosity.God sent His great apostle Peter specifically to meet with this Gentile and share the Gospel with him..God is sad when He sees His people living selfishly,only concerned about me and mine. It especially hurts Him whenever Chrisitians close their eyes to the pressing needs before them. Are we like the rich man?My prayer is that we will all take this warning seriously.How many more cars,clothes,toys and trinkets do we really need before we wake up and realize that half the world goes to bed every night with empty stomachs and naked bodies? Just look at the faces of all these beautiful children God is weeping over. The Lord Jesus is looking for those who will share his heart. Open your eyes and look at the reality that is before us. Remember what Jesus said,Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine,you did for me(Matthew 25:40, emphasis mine). This means that whatever we do for the least of these,whether good or bad,it is as through we have done it for Jesus Chrisit Hinself.In other words,the begger Lazarus sitting neglected in front of the rich mans gate was, in reality,God lying there..When we hear about the millions of suffering,hurting children in the world,let us not look the other way. Each one represents our Lord Himself. Over and over in Scripture, we recognize Gods heart for those who have no voice, for the captives and the oppressed. There is a divine passion for them, a heavenly desire for their well being, because God prizes them hoghly and His heart breaks to see them suffer. The Scripture is crystal clear about Gods heart for children.The best place to look is at Jesus, because He is the exact representation of the Fathers nature (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus himself says, Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father (John14:9). Therefore, we can be sure the fullness of Gods heart for children was perfectly reflected in the life and words of His Son. So what can we learn from Him? Throughout the Gospels,we see Jesus repeatedly speaking about how important children are to him and to the Father. In Mark 10, we encounter Jesus surrounded by people, teaching them the truths of God. Some of the parents in the crowd control. They may have said something like,The Master is teaching an important message. Please sit down and keep your children quiet. This passage states that when Jesus saw what was happening,He was displeased and told His disciples,LET THE LITTLE CHILDREN COME TO ME, AND DO NOT FORBID THEM;for of such is the kingdom of God (Mark 10:14). He actually interrupted His teaching, put His hands on them and blessed them In the midst of His busy ministry,Jesus stopped everything He was doing to show these children His love and interest.
Posted on: Thu, 09 Oct 2014 05:59:04 +0000
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