Proverbs 21:3 (NIV)
3 To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the
Lord than sacrifice.
This is a reminder from King Solomon that The Lord enjoys
when we do things that are right and just. These actions are pleasing to Him.
Generally the sacrifice was offered after a transgression had occurred to amend
for any sins committed. And while this showed repentance on behalf of the person,
it would have been more acceptable to not have committed the transgression.
Max Lucado, in Outlive Your Life wrote: A few months ago
I was sitting at the red light of a busy intersection when I noticed a man
walking toward my car. He stepped off the curb, bypassed several vehicles, and
started waving at me. He carried a cardboard sign under his arm, a jammed pack
on his back. His jeans were baggy, his beard scraggly, and he was calling my
name, "Max! Max! Remember me?"
I lowered my window. He smiled a toothless grin. [He
said], "I still remember that burger you bought me." Then I remembered.
Months, maybe a year earlier, at this very intersection, I had taken him to a
corner hamburger stand where we enjoyed a meal together. He was
California-bound on that day. "I'm passing through Texas again," he
told me. The light changed, and cars began to honk. I pulled away, leaving him
waving and shouting, "Thanks for the burger, Max."
I'd long since forgotten that meal. Not him. We never
know what one meal will do …. When we provide food stamps, we stave off hunger.
But when we invite the hungry to our tables, we address the deeper issues of
value and self-worth.
As Max illustrated above it would have been simple to
sacrifice a few dollars to someone who was hungry. However, Max had taken an
extra step of taking the man to eat and sitting down with him for a
conversation. It wasn’t the meal that made such a great impact upon the man,
but that Max gave his time to share a meal with this man to show he cared about
the man.
Even Jesus relayed this example to us when He said in
Revelation 3:20, ““Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice
and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as
friends.” Jesus just doesn’t come to believers to give a handout; He comes to
believers to have an intimate relationship with them.
No comments:
Post a Comment