1 John 3:17-18 ‘But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.’
DAILY READING Matthew 8:1-13; Exodus 39:1-40:38; Proverbs 18
Oskar Schindler was an ethnic German and a Christian, who protected over a thousand Jews during the holocaust. During World war 2, when Adolf Hitler began killing Jews all over Europe, Schindler bought a Jewish-owned enamelware factory in 1939, and began to employ Jewish workers as a way of saving them from the holocaust. Schindler went to great lengths to ensure his workers were protected. He repeatedly gave money to German soldiers, to prevent them from deporting his workers to extermination camps. He also added an armaments manufacturing division to his factory so that he could claim his Jewish workers were essential to the war effort.
He even let his workers stay safe within the walls of his factory to avoid being arrested. Later, Schindler convinced the Nazis to convert his factory into a branch of Plaszow concentration camp, and brought in Jews from other camps as well, protecting them from the brutality of the holocaust at great personal risk. During this time, he was arrested three times by the Nazis for his clandestine activities—but they could not find enough evidence against him. He only shut down operations of his factory the day Hitler was defeated and the local concentration camps were liberated.
Schindler’s act of kindness saved the lives of over a thousand Jews. Although he died without fanfare or much recognition, he has since been recognized posthumously with many international awards. His kindness was so appreciated by the nation of Israel that he was subsequently exhumed from Germany and reburied in Israel. Twenty five years ago, the movie ‘Schindler’s list’, which tells the story of Schindler, became a blockbuster. Recently in 2018, this movie was remade and released by Universal Pictures, and already it has won several Academy Awards and Oscars. Indeed Schindler continues to be honored for choosing to have risked his life to save others.
Yet, interestingly, Oskar Schindler was not the only rich Christian in Germany at the time of the holocaust. There were many others too, but they decided to look the other way while many Jews perished. Today no one remembers their names, but the name of Oskar Schindler and his acts of kindness continues to resonate throughout the world.
Jesus asked us to lay down our lives for others. In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus told the story of the good Samaritan who took care of a man wounded by thieves, while the priest, and the Levite saw the man in need but took to the other side of the road.
Often times like the priest and Levite, we like to take the other side of the road, we don’t just want to get involved with people’s issues. We would rather observe from the distance, even sometimes labeling such action as wisdom. But in the scriptures, Jesus continually told us to show love one to another. The world is full of hurting people, even in the church. They need someone to reach out in love. Love is practical, it is what we do.
James 2:15-16, says ‘If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?’
We need to reach out to others in love, especially those who are of the household of faith. Let us not love in words, but in deeds. Let us be physical manifestations of Jesus to our world. Let us indeed love our neighbors as ourselves.
1 John 3:17-18, says: ‘But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.’
Giving is the biblical way of proving the sincerity of our love. Our claim to love God or humanity will not be sincere if we are not givers. Meeting the need of humanity is what gives dignity to destiny. And the truth is that you can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.
And one of the ways we can be a blessing to people is by sowing towards the preaching of the Gospel. Many people in the world today are experiencing spiritual holocaust, many are suffering in the regions of death and darkness, under one demonic bondage or the other, simply because they lack the light of the Gospel. When we give towards sending the Gospel all over the world, then in practical terms, we are helping to set the captives free. And every seed you sow enlarges the coast of Gods blessings in your life. Every seed enriches your heavenly account. If there is no giving, there is no receiving. And until your seed is down, your harvest is not in view. But whatever we give, comes back to us in good measures, pressed down shaken together and running over. Indeed, you can’t give yourself wholly and not experience God fully.
PRAYER: Lord, please enable me to love people as You love them. Help me to shine Your love wherever I go. I receive the grace today to love practically by giving towards the deliverance and salvation of men in Jesus Name.
QUOTE
There is something that God has placed within you that the world is eagerly awaiting to see.