Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

Their only suggestion was that we keep on helping
the poor, which I have always been eager to do.
Galatians 2:10, NLT

Reflection:

The apostles were referring to the poor of Jerusalem.
While many Gentile converts were financially
comfortable, the Jerusalem church had suffered from
the effects of a severe famine in Palestine and was
struggling. So on his journeys, Paul had gathered
funds for the Jewish Christians. The need for believers
to care for the poor is a constant theme in Scripture.
But often we do nothing, caught up in meeting our own
needs and desires.
Perhaps we don't see enough poverty to remember the
needs of the poor. The world is filled with poor people,
here and in other countries.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

Whenever we may be or whatever our
circumstances, we are never beyond
the reach of God's Care!

“Pharaoh’s officials said to him, ‘How long will this
man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that
they may worship the LORD their God. Do you not
yet realize that Egypt is ruined?’” — Exodus 10:7

Like Pharaoh, sometimes even the smartest of us
aren’t able to think clearly. Maybe you’ve known a
friend who was so obviously in a hurtful relationship,
but he or she refused to get out of it. Your friend
couldn’t see the repeating pattern of hurt and
destruction. He or she was too close to the situation.
Or maybe you have experienced being unable to
make an important decision because you lost your
perspective on the situation. Sometimes, when we
are so close to a situation, we have difficulty seeing
it clearly and we don’t know what to do.

In those kinds of situations, we have to be wise
enough to do what Pharaoh didn’t: Listen to the advice
of others! Who are your trusted advisers? Keep them
close and turn to them in times of need. And don’t
forget to ask for guidance from the most trusted adviser
of all — God Almighty! He will help you connect the dots.

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

(excerpts from Holy Land Moments)