Relief or Oppression?

Two portions of Scripture that the Lord has been using recently to deal with me in the issue of service are these:
Ezekiel 18: 5-9 and Psalm 145: 8-13. In one God tells Ezekiel the characteristics He considers important in a righteous man and in the other God gives us the basis, or the foundation for where those characteristics come from and what the result of a righteous life will be.

Neither one have anything to do with my comfort.
Neither one has anything to do with my desire to take the path of least resistance.
Neither one has anything to do with my giftedness, my talents, my cleverness, or my acclaim.

Nope, they have to do with God’s goodness - and how do I respond to that.
God’s loving-kindness – and how do I live it out.
God’s mercies and works – and how does my life exhibit my worship of Him because of those character traits.

"To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts – And the glory of the majesty of your kingdom…".

Giving bread to the hungry and covering the naked with clothes allows us to fight against physical and spiritual oppression and presents the opportunity to shout from the mountaintops the wonders of God’s glorious works in our own lives.

I believe that Spiritual poverty is the worst kind of poverty that anyone can experience because it affects their eternal destiny, however, some will never know the depths of their need because of hunger pains that won’t subside, or a lack of hope because they feel trapped by their circumstances or position in society.

The only thing worse is when I as a believer put so many restrictions on my service to those in need that I become the oppressor.

Lord, grant me wisdom each day to serve you with mercy, grace, love, gentleness, patience, and joy – that I might make known through my life the glory of the majesty of your kingdom. Amen.

Rick Rutter - Outreach Ministries