Attentive: Steering Clear of Being Only “Me” Focused

Psalm 9:18 (ESV) – For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

James 1:27 – Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…

Galatians 6:2 – Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

James 2:2-4 – 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Deuteronomy 27:9-10 – 9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Be silent, Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the Lord your God. 10 Obey the Lord your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today.”

Deuteronomy 27:19 – “Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.”  Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

מִשְׁפָּט – mišpāṭ – what’s right, proper, fitting

Proverbs 3:27 – Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.

Matthew 25:31-46 – 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Be attentive to the destitute/deprived because…

#1 – Being only comes when are .

Matthew 25:34 –  “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 

Matthew 25:35-36 – 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

Matthew 25:40 –  ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Proverbs 14:21 – …Blessed is he who is generous to the poor.

Proverbs 22:9 – The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.

Psalm 41:1 – Blessed is the one who considers the poor.

A life truly lived is a away.

Be attentive to the destitute/deprived because…

#2 – There’s else .

Matthew 25:40 –  ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the

least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Matthew 25:45 –  ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not for me.’

Hebrews 13:2 – Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. 

James 2:12-13 – 12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

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