Love’s Work – Entry 47: 05-19-10

I was reading through my Psalms/Proverbs plan today and stopped on Proverbs 28:27, “He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, 
but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.” That’s the kind of advice that can be really is tough to swallow. Honestly, how many of us haven’t ignored a homeless person at one point in our lives? There are many places in the Bible where we are told to help out those in need. I don’t want to guilt trip you with this. However, it is vitally important that we not ignore things like this.

So, this week why don’t you try to find a few people that really need your help and help them out. Give a homeless person some money, or better yet, take them out to eat somewhere and talk to them. That’s love.

Love’s Work – Entry 46: 05-17-10

Today I read 2 Chronicles 29-31.

In the beginning of chapter 29, Hezekiah is made king after his evil father dies. He begins to clean house in Israel, specifically in regards to the temple and in worshiping the Lord. Once everything gets cleaned and purified, the people all are invited together to celebrate the Lord and to sacrifice a LOT of animals.

In 2 Chronicles 30:18-20, people coming from other parts of the country ate the Passover without purifying themselves. Hezekiah, finding out about this, prays to God for these people, and I love what he says: “May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone who sets his heart on seeking God - the Lord, the God of his fathers - even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.” After hearing Hezekiah’s prayer, the Lord “healed the people”. How cool is that?

Now, I want to skip ahead for a second and talk about Jesus: our prophet and our priest. Now, I use these words because as a prophet, Jesus reveals God to man, allowing for a relationship between the grossly limited and the omnipotent. He is the pair of sunglasses that lets us stare into the sun; the radiation suit that allows us to examine the burning, loving heart of God.

On the other hand, he is our priest. He is our eternal Hezekiah, interceding to God on our behalf. He made himself a sacrifice in order to make us right before God. In the same way that Hezekiah cried out to God on behalf of us, Jesus’ blood cries out every moment for us before the very throne of God. He has purified us and made us right so that we can partake in the feast that he has prepared for us now and for eternity. THAT is love.