The Lord said to Elijah, “Now go to the town of Zarephath, near Sidon, and stay there. I have commanded a widow who lives there to feed you.” So, Elijah went to Zarephath, and as he came to the gate of the town, he saw a widow gathering firewood. ‘Please bring me a drink of water.’ He said to her. And as she was going to get it, he called out, ‘And please bring me some bread, too.”1 King 17:8-11.

God speaks to us every day; let us recognize His voice to enable us know and do His will like Elijah did above. The person you help today can turn round to help you tomorrow. So, don’t write anybody off!  In 1 King 17:8-24, we are told how the widow who fed and accommodated Elijah lost her only son and God restored him back to life through Elijah’s intersession.

                                                  

     Helping others is not all about giving them money or food but meeting their immediate needs.  Philip made himself available to the Holy Spirit who used him to help the rich Ethiopian eunuch. The Ethiopian eunuch, who was an important official in charge of the treasury of the queen of Ethiopia, was reading the scripture without understanding. The Holy Spirit inspired Philip to help him. Philip asked to know if the eunuch understood what he was reading and the man said “No.”  He humbly allowed Philip to teach him and baptized him as well.

      Jesus tells us during Stations of the Cross, “Lift the burden from another back. Each time you do that, you lift the cross’s awful weight that crushes me. Can you be brave enough to wipe my bloody face? ‘Where is your face?’ you may ask me. And I will answer, ‘Everywhere: at home where eyes fill up with tears; at work when tensions rise; in the classroom; on playground … wherever suffering exists. My face is there and there I look for you to wipe away my blood and tears.”

      John Mason said, “The best way to judge a person is by what he gives. The test of generosity is not necessarily how much you give but how much you have left. If you have, give. If you lack, give.”  When you give a helping hand, your savings account in heaven will increase. If you are financially buoyant, remember the needy around you. The resources God allocated to you is not meant for you alone: Use it well and you will be given much more!  “Everyone to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more.” Lk. 12:48.

      You will always have everything you want in life if you help enough other people get what they need. It pays great dividends to invest in others by helping to uplift them. And as you lift others up, God who sees all that you do will also lift you up in His own way!

 

            No matter how rich you may be, you will need someone to help you some day.  According to Acts, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” God has given you so much that you too may share with others: Don’t keep all to yourself like the man who stored his money in overhead water tank or the man who stored his under his bed and toilets. The more you give, the more you receive from the Giver of life. An Indian proverb says, “Good people, like clouds, receive only to give away.” And Ps. 84:11 complemented it saying, “God does not refuse any good thing to those who do what is right.”

     Your light is a gift or talent given to you by God out of love and He expects you to use it tremendously for yourself and others. So, if you say you know Christ, Our Risen Lord, have you demonstrated it in your life for others to see and change for good?

      “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers: that you do unto me! When I was hungry you gave me to eat, when I was thirsty you gave me to drink, now enter into the home of my Father.” So, give when you have, and give when you lack! The Good Samaritan who helped the man attacked on his journey was commended by Our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

       “He who gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.” Prov. 28:27. You will always have everything you want in life if you help enough other people get what they need. “There are three keys to more abundant living: Caring about others, daring for others and sharing with others” William Ward. It pays great dividends to invest in others by helping to uplift them.

      Spread love everywhere you go” says Mother Teresa of Calcutta. No wonder she was able to reach out to the poor in all six continents of the world before she died. St. Teresa spent her time from 1948 to 1997 taking care of the sick, the dying, the hungry, the naked and the homeless. When God is all you have, then He is all you need: Let God into your life by abiding in Him that He may abide in you and manifest His presence in your life. James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

       Bro. Ethelbert Soba once said, “The first thing you should have in mind when you are about to help the needy is that you are giving to God through your fellow man. When you give, you touch life positively. And the best way to give is to give to someone who will not pay you back.” And when it comes to giving, Bro. Ethelbert will stop at nothing because he believes there is much joy in giving than in receiving. He is a model to many people around him.

 

       “Christ made Himself the Bread of Life to satisfy our hunger for His love, and then He made Himself the Hungry one so that we may satisfy His hunger for love. You could be the light of the world, but no one will know it unless the switch is turned on. When Mother Teresa switched on her love, it took her far and wide.

      In Mathew 15:32-39, Jesus fed 4,000 men apart from women and children with just seven loaves of bread and a few small fish because He did not want to send them away after they have spent three days with Him. Following Jesus’ example, let us feed the hungry in our midst today now that hunger has become one of our major problems in Nigeria?

Almighty Father, open our eyes to the sorrows and injustice in Nigeria that we may help those in need with compassion and sacrifice to your glory and honor in Jesus’ Name!

Please, save someone today and God will reward you beyond your expectation!