~Hebrews 13:16
(Mt. Celo Church helps sponsor three of these youth who are missionaries
in Uganda along with their parents.)
In Ezekiel chapter 29, God instructed Ezekiel to prophecy against Egypt. At the time, Egypt was a flourishing civilization filled with treasures and known for its military power. The Nile River brought life to the desert land of Egypt, however there was no place in Egypt's pride for recognition of God's hand in providing this river that enabled Egypt to thrive as a culture. God told the Pharaoh of that time, "Behold I am against you. . who has said, 'My River is my own; I have made it for myself'" (v.3). Egypt was also known for its idolatry and cruel treatment of slaves. God would take Egypt to task for her evil ways and break her power forever. Egypt would be "waste and desolate" for a period lasting forty years (v. 11-12), then God says He would "gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered" (v. 13). But He says, "there they shall be a lowly kingdom. It shall be the lowliest of kingdoms; it shall never again exalt itself above the nations, for I will diminish them so that they will not rule over the nations anymore" (v. 15). Egypt has never been a powerful nation since God broke the pride of their power and He says they will never be a leader in the world again. God sees the end from the beginning and His prophecy always holds true.
God says in Proverbs 28:27, that He will be generous to those who give to the poor: "He who gives to the poor will not lack, but he who hides his eyes will have many curses". William Wilberforce, probably the most well known leader of the movement to abolish slave trade, is quoted as saying, “You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.” We may not really want to see the homeless person holding a sign on the side of the road, asking for food or work. Yet, the writer of Hebrews says in chapter 13, verses 1-3, "Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. Remember the prisoners as if chained with them--those who are mistreated--since you yourselves are in the body also". Our state as physical beings is that we are vulnerable to many maladies and less than desirable situations. We see people frequently whose homes and material possessions are gone in a flash as tornadoes rip through their neighborhood. God says we should not hide our eyes from these people in need, but give to them. (Samaritan's Purse and the Salvation Army are both reputable ministries that responsibly use contributions to help those in need.)
The writer of Hebrews goes on to say, "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have" (v.5). He also reminds us in the same verse that Jesus Himself said He would never leave us nor forsake us". With this in mind, we can boldly say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear". With Jesus' words ringing in our ears, we can also ask ourselves this, "What can man do to me?" Such confidence! Such boldness God has made possible for us! Whether or not we can be bold will depend on whether or not we believe Him (also known as faith). We would do well to take to heart the fact that "here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come" (v. 14). God wants us to be aware of and to consider our premise for living our lives. "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased" (v. 15-16).
"Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen" (Hebrews 13:20-21).
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