February 25

Leviticus 16:29-18:30, Mark 7:24-8:10, Psalm 41:1-13, Proverbs 10:15-16

Pray: Ask God to empty you of you today. May our thoughts, words, and actions be emptied of selfish ambition or vain conceit. May we operate out of worship for God and love for our neighbor instead of out of a desire for our personal gain.

Read: As you read today, think about God’s economy. We should get uncomfortable as we encounter Proverbs about wealth, a Psalm of David urging us to be kind to the poor, and Jesus feeding a vulnerable 4000 people. Are we ready to allow God to challenge us in the area of giving time and resources to the poor? Are we willing to trust Him to multiply what we have so that they and we have enough according to His riches?

Edify: The disciples had a scarcity mentality. They had witnessed Jesus cast out demons, heal the sick, and even walk on water. Is anything too hard for Him? To top it all off, they were there when Jesus fed the 5000 just relatively recently (Mark chapter 6)!!! The disciples were focused in on the difficulty of the situation and were not interested enough in the well-being of the crowd to suggest such a miracle occurring again. “How are we supposed to find enough food to feed them out here in the wilderness?” (Mark 6:4) How often do we tell the living God the same thing (not asking even though it’s a question)? We are often too focused on the circumstances to feel empathy for those who are hungry or stuck in a tight spot. We’re often caught in a scarcity mentality where we’re hesitant to take action due to being afraid we’ll be the ones in need if we give. When we’re with Jesus, we should turn from the scarcity mentality and live out of the abundance that He wants to provide.

Practice: John Wesley observes, “We do not think to serve the poor, because we do not spend any time with the poor.” Schedule a time TODAY with your life group or with your family to serve a meal or simply hang out at one of Christ Church’s strategic partners in the area. Don’t treat them as a target to check your “serving or outreach” religious box, but go with the intention on having a real conversation with a real person who happens to be in need.