February 22: Luke 6:20-22

Key Verse: Luke 6:21
Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

Devotion:
The more people gathered around Jesus, the more He wanted to tell them about the kingdom of God. The more people who gathered to be healed and blessed, the more He wanted to bless them in the positions they were in. He did not wait until the right amount of rich people gathered together before He addressed the crowds. He did not wait until the right amount of sick people gathered before He healed people. He worked with the people who gathered there and then!

Too many times in our lives we wait until the right opportunity arises or we wait until the right people hear our message before we deliver what we have promised; we give in to the ways of the world instead of making the ways of the world. Look around you at the people who are close by – what do you see and what do you hear? Do you hear gossip and bragging, do you see flamboyance and degradation?

What is God laying on your heart? Is He giving you a heart to step out of your daily routine and help people who have no routine? Is He asking you to leave your lifestyle behind and go and be with people who are poor and in need? Is He asking you to step forward and be with people of great stature? We cannot impose our ways or our wants on God; we have to listen for His ways and His desires. He is the one who does know what is best for the people you see around you, be it with your eyes, hearing with your ears or watching over news channels…

God blesses the poor because they do not see the riches of heaven in their world. God blesses the hungry because they do not have the opulent lifestyle of some others. God blesses those who weep because they are in need of comfort when the world has taken them away from that comfort. God blesses the people who hate you and your Christian ways because He wants them to see what they can have if they would turn to Him. Wherever God is calling you, step forward, one step at a time and move on with Him!

Points to Ponder:
Do you have a heart to serve other people?

What is God asking you to do – and will you listen?