The Wonderful Ways of GOD - March 3, 2014

Scripture: Deuteronomy 23-25
3 No Ammonites or Moabites, or any of their descendants for ten generations, can become part of Israel, the Lord’s people. 4 This is because when you came out of Egypt, they refused to provide you with food and water. And besides, they hired Balaam[b] to put a curse on you. 5 But the Lord your God loves you, so he refused to listen to Balaam and turned Balaam’s curse into a blessing. 6 Don’t even think of signing a peace treaty with Moab or Ammon.
7 But Edomites are your relatives, and you lived as foreigners in the country of Egypt. Now you must be kind to Edomites and Egyptians 8 and let their great-grandchildren become part of Israel, the Lord’s people. - Deuteronomy 23
17 Make sure that orphans and foreigners are treated fairly. And if you lend money to a widow and want to keep something of hers to guarantee that she will pay you back, don’t take any of her clothes.
19 If you forget to bring in a stack of harvested grain, don’t go back in the field to get it. Leave it for the poor, including foreigners, orphans, and widows, and the Lord will make you successful in everything you do. - Deuteronomy -24

Message: 

The wonderful ways of GOD is just and merciful at the same time. He remembers the acts of other Nations towards His chosen people and commands His people what to do with these Nations according to His judgement. GOD is merciful to the poor and needy, HE makes sure that they are taken cared of.

Observation/Promise:

GOD is just in all His ways. He is all knowing and perfect. He knows how to take care of His people and He instructs them how to deal with their enemies and friends. When you are a child of GOD, you will never be left unaware of certain situations and not knowing what to do if you continually heed the voice of GOD everyday in your life because He always has something to tell you and His instructions for you are not just for your good, it's for the best for you and for everyone affecting you! GOD is such a merciful GOD, compassionate to the poor and needy. He instructs His people to look after them in many simple ways. When harvesting leave a little behind for the poor. GOD is teaching us to be givers so that we do not become greedy and seek gain only for ourselves. If we obey the LORD, He will surely make us successful in everything that we do.

Application/Command:

Do not let your enemies become part of you. There are certain people that GOD is willing to forgive easily like the Edomites and the Egyptians. He is willing to let them be part of His people. But there are certain people whose hearts are calloused and defiled, these are the Ammonites and Moabites. So hard are the hearts of these people, He has instructed Israel never to have to do anything with them at all. Know who these people are in your life and be sure to follow GOD's instructions according to HIS commands for this will surely keep you safe and at peace. 

Treat the orphans and widows fairly. Be kind to them. Leave something of your harvests or income to the poor. GOD has not only commanded us to give our tithe to the LORD but HE has also commanded us to leave something for the poor. Teaching us to be kind and compassionate just as HE is. 

Giving

6 The Lord your God will bless you as he has promised. You will lend money to many nations but will never need to borrow. You will rule many nations, but they will not rule over you.
7 “But if there are any poor Israelites in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them. 8 Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need. 9 Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year for canceling debts is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the Lord, you will be considered guilty of sin.10 Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. 11 There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.

- Deuteronomy 15:6-11

GOD is a loving and compasionate GOD. He thinks about the poor and needy and commands those that are not poor to help them. Why is it important to help the poor? It is important so that we can purge ourselves from selfishness and stingyness. Selfishness is a trait that leads to sin and death. As GOD's children we should reflect the very character of GOD, His generosity and selflessness. But as humans we are naturally selfish and we think about or care for ourselves more often than we even think about others or care for others. That is why GOD commands us to help the needy by giving, lending and sharing what we have. Generosity is an important trait of GOD and we should have that trait within ourselves. For how can other people worship the GOD we serve if the GOD we serve doesn't care about other people.

When we are generous with our finances or material wealth, we will also be generous with our time, our care and our love. If we are not generous with our wealth, how can the love of GOD be seen in us? You cannot be Godly and stingy at the same time. It is good to have self-control in how we spend our money, it is a Godly trait to have financial management. But we cannot be stingy with helping others especially the poor. We can't ever turn them away because GOD has chosen to bless us so that we can bless them and help them. If we do not care about them and ignore the command of GOD to give to them, GOD will take away our wealth because we are not deserving or worthy to possess wealth when wealth has possessed us. When we hold on to material things too much, it only means our god is not the Creator of Heaven and Earth, but our god is money. We are greedy. But when we give away what we have to help the needy, we are giving away to GOD Himself, not because He is poor and needy but because the poor and needy are close to His heart. When we bless the poor, we bless GOD and in return, GOD blesses us even more. For we can never outgive GOD, HE is more generous than we are, HE will make sure to give us more than what we have given HIM.