ISAIAH 55 MINISTRIES … (THE BIBLE’S IMPACT ON ACTS OF CHARITY) [DEC 13]

What kind of a steward are you being with all areas of your life? How are you being a steward of your money? Are you spending it on things that should have been for the essentials like food instead? How are you being a steward of your energy? Are you spending your time working on things that won’t last or won’t matter and won’t satisfy? How are you being a steward of information? Are you taking time to hear from the Holy Spirit in order to know what to do and how to do it in a way that will satisfy and produce a good return? Are you taking time to hear from God diligently in order that you not only are being filled by the Holy Spirit but are also producing the fruits of the Spirit? Why not turn back to God? Why not take time to hear from Him by listening to what He is saying to you be it through His Word in the Bible, be it through worship music at church or in the car or somewhere in between, be it through times of prayer and fasting. Make time or prioritize your time and take time! Connect with God! Receive Jesus into Your heart! Walk out your today aligned with God and pursuing His will and His plan and His purpose for your today!

Today’s reading comes to us from Isaiah 55 which reads:

The Compassion of the Lord

1 “Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
4 Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
5 Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,
and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
7 let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
12 “For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

—Isaiah 55

So let’s not try to do it our way with the partial facts but instead let’s do what God calls us to do since He knows the beginning and the end. Let’s not lean on our own understanding but put our trust in God! Let’s do it God’s ways which are better and higher than our ways!

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Today’s devotional from The Global Impact Bible on the theme of the Bible’s impact on Acts of Charity on the subject of Isaiah 55 Ministries. Looking them up I found that their vision is:

Isaiah 55 Ministries works among the Deaf and marginalized to make disciples, encourage the worship of Jesus, and promote justice and reconciliation. The deaf education programs span from K-12 with follow on vocational programs providing opportunists for manufacturing jobs. The outreach programs involve special projects in the neighborhood at the mission providing both economically and spiritually for those in the community where the mission is located. The work teams provide an opportunity to come alongside the mission staff to encourage, help, and participate in mission activities. 

—Isaiah 55 Ministries – What We Do

I learned that they help the deaf and disenfranchised in Mexico through education, outreach, and reconciliation.  Today’s devotional points to how they have teams that help with community construction projects, after-school sports programs, and arts and crafts classes. From today’s devotional and their website we see how it points back to today’s reading from verse 2:

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‘ Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.’

—Isaiah 55:2

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which we see is a call to have people listen to God.

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Let’s pray… Let’s first pray to commit our lives back to God

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Next as we prepare for this day, let’s take hold of the Lord’s Prayer and align with God’s plans and purpose for today…

Now let’s get going with today and live out our lives as living sacrifices so that in and through it all God will receive the praise, the honor, and the glory in Jesus’s name. Let’s pray to forgive others…

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Heavenly Father, I thank You Lord for this new day and for everything that will be in it. I thank You Lord that You provided a divine encounter where I could be asked, questioned, and encouraged. Help me Lord to have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart that will be sensitive to Your prompting and direction. Help me Lord to have the conversations even when they aren’t easy. Help me Lord to take the trust I have in the leadership You have put over me for their authority comes from You and to take hold of the what’s next You have in store for me and are planning and scheduling to happen right on time, not early and never late. Lord, I am so thankful that You are good all the time and that all the time You are good. Help me today Lord to live out my today in a way that will bring You all the praise, the honor, and the glory in Jesus’s name. Amen.

MOTHER TERESA ON LOVE … (THE BIBLE’S IMPACT ON ACTS OF CHARITY) [DEC 12]

If someone asks you who you belong to what would you answer? If someone asks you whose you are, what would you say? Would you point to your parents? Would you point to your spouse? Would you point to your kids? Would you point to …? How do you decide? Is it based on the situation? like if you are your kids play or game? like you are at a party? What would it take for you to say that you are God’s? 

Today’s reading comes to us from Isaiah 43:

Israel’s Only Savior

1 But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
4 Because you are precious in my eyes,
and honored, and I love you,
I give men in return for you,
peoples in exchange for your life.
5 Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you.
6 I will say to the north, Give up,
and to the south, Do not withhold;
bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the end of the earth,
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”
8 Bring out the people who are blind, yet have eyes,
who are deaf, yet have ears!
9 All the nations gather together,
and the peoples assemble.
Who among them can declare this,
and show us the former things?
Let them bring their witnesses to prove them right,
and let them hear and say, It is true.
10 “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“and my servant whom I have chosen,
that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
nor shall there be any after me.
11 I, I am the Lord,
and besides me there is no savior.
12 I declared and saved and proclaimed,
when there was no strange god among you;
and you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God.
13 Also henceforth I am he;
there is none who can deliver from my hand;
I work, and who can turn it back?”
14 Thus says the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“For your sake I send to Babylon
and bring them all down as fugitives,
even the Chaldeans, in the ships in which they rejoice.
15 I am the Lord, your Holy One,
the Creator of Israel, your King.”
16 Thus says the Lord,
who makes a way in the sea,
a path in the mighty waters,
17 who brings forth chariot and horse,
army and warrior;
they lie down, they cannot rise,
they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:
18 “Remember not the former things,
nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
20 The wild beasts will honor me,
the jackals and the ostriches,
for I give water in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
21 the people whom I formed for myself
that they might declare my praise.
22 “Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob;
but you have been weary of me, O Israel!
23 You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings,
or honored me with your sacrifices.
I have not burdened you with offerings,
or wearied you with frankincense.
24 You have not bought me sweet cane with money,
or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins;
you have wearied me with your iniquities.
25 “I, I am he
who blots out your transgressions for my own sake,
and I will not remember your sins.
26 Put me in remembrance; let us argue together;
set forth your case, that you may be proved right.
27 Your first father sinned,
and your mediators transgressed against me.
28 Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary,
and deliver Jacob to utter destruction
and Israel to reviling.

—Isaiah 43

Are you ready to live out a new life? Are you ready to be a new creation? Are you ready to let go of the old things or the things of the past and reach for all that God has prepared for you?

Today’s devotional from The Global Impact Bible on the theme of the Bible’s impact on Acts of Charity on the subject of Mother Teresa on love. Looking her up online I found the following description of her:

Mother Teresa, known in the Roman Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, Albanian: [aˈɲɛzə ˈɡɔndʒɛ bɔjaˈdʒiu]; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), was an Albanian-Indian[4] Roman Catholic nun and missionary.[7] She was born in Skopje (now the capital of Macedonia), then part of the Kosovo Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. After living in Macedonia for eighteen years she moved to Ireland and then to India, where she lived for most of her life.
In 1950 Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation which had over 4,500 sisters and was active in 133 countries in 2012. The congregation manages homes for people dying of HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis; soup kitchens; dispensaries and mobile clinics; children’s- and family-counselling programmes; orphanages, and schools. Members, who take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, also profess a fourth vow: to give “wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor.”
Teresa received a number of honours, including the 1962 Ramon Magsaysay Peace Prize and 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. She was canonised (recognised by the church as a saint) on 4 September 2016, and the anniversary of her death (5 September) is her feast day.
A controversial figure during her life and after her death, Teresa was admired by many for her charitable work. She was praised and criticised for her opposition to abortion, and criticised for poor conditions in her houses for the dying. Her authorised biography was written by Navin Chawla and published in 1992, and she has been the subject of films and other books. On September 6, 2017, Teresa was named co-patron of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta, alongside St. Francis Xavier.

— Wikipedia – Mother Teresa

Today’s devotional points to how she spent her life serving the poor including those who were dying. We learn how she won the Nobel Peace Prize and that her work through the Missionaries of Charity. We learn how this organization has grown and in 2015 consisted of 5150 sisters serving in 758 houses in 139 countries. We also learn how Pope Francis canonized her in 2016. We learn in today’s devotional how Isaiah 43:1 from today’s reading was used to express Mother Teresa’s views of helping the poor.

‘ But now thus says the Lord , he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.’

— Isaiah 43:1

What’s your calling?

Let’s pray… Let’s first pray to commit our lives back to God

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Next as we prepare for this day, let’s take hold of the Lord’s Prayer and align with God’s plans and purpose for today…

Now let’s get going with today and live out our lives as living sacrifices so that in and through it all God will receive the praise, the honor, and the glory in Jesus’s name. Let’s pray to forgive others…

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Heavenly Father, Thank You Lord for this new day. Thank You for Your Word that never returns void. Thank You for allowing me to step up and step into Your calling and Your plan for my life. Thank You Lord for eyes to see and ears to hear when there are new people. Thank You Lord for eyes to see and ears to hear when there are needing people. Help me today Lord to be observant and sensitive to Your Holy Spirit so that in it I will respond in a way that will bring You all the praise, the honor, and the glory in Jesus’s name. Amen.

UPHOLDING WOMEN IN CRISIS … (THE BIBLE’S IMPACT ON ACTS OF CHARITY) [DEC 11]

Are you living out your today by sharing God’s mercy and grace with others? Are you living out your life by sharing God’s love and hope with others? Are you living out your life being God’s salt and light for others? Are you willing to step up and step out in order to make a difference in the lives of all the people God has put around you to pour into? What is your focus? What is your purpose? What is your intention? Will you speak the truth in love? Will you live out your life in a way that isn’t about deception but sharing the truth and the love of God? Will you wait upon the Lord when things get tough and allow Him to renew your strength? Will you allow God to be the one who brings justice to the situation? Let’s pursue God and His will and His purpose without swaying to the left or the right!

Today’s reading comes to us from Isaiah 30:

Do Not Go Down to Egypt

1 “Ah, stubborn children,” declares the Lord,
“who carry out a plan, but not mine,
and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit,
that they may add sin to sin;
2 who set out to go down to Egypt,
without asking for my direction,
to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh
and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!
3 Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame,
and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation.
4 For though his officials are at Zoan
and his envoys reach Hanes,
5 everyone comes to shame
through a people that cannot profit them,
that brings neither help nor profit,
but shame and disgrace.”

6An oracle on the beasts of the Negeb.

Through a land of trouble and anguish,
from where come the lioness and the lion,
the adder and the flying fiery serpent,
they carry their riches on the backs of donkeys,
and their treasures on the humps of camels,
to a people that cannot profit them.
7 Egypt’s help is worthless and empty;
therefore I have called her
“Rahab who sits still.”

A Rebellious People

8 And now, go, write it before them on a tablet
and inscribe it in a book,
that it may be for the time to come
as a witness forever.
9 For they are a rebellious people,
lying children,
children unwilling to hear
the instruction of the Lord;
10 who say to the seers, “Do not see,”
and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right;
speak to us smooth things,
prophesy illusions,
11 leave the way, turn aside from the path,
let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”
12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel,
“Because you despise this word
and trust in oppression and perverseness
and rely on them,
13 therefore this iniquity shall be to you
like a breach in a high wall, bulging out and about to collapse,
whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant;
14 and its breaking is like that of a potter’s vessel
that is smashed so ruthlessly
that among its fragments not a shard is found
with which to take fire from the hearth,
or to dip up water out of the cistern.”
15 For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”
But you were unwilling, 16and you said,
“No! We will flee upon horses”;
therefore you shall flee away;
and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”;
therefore your pursuers shall be swift.
17 A thousand shall flee at the threat of one;
at the threat of five you shall flee,
till you are left
like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain,
like a signal on a hill.

The Lord Will Be Gracious

18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him.

19For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. 20And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. 21And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. 22Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, “Be gone!”
23And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures, 24and the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. 25And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. 26Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.

27 Behold, the name of the Lord comes from afar,
burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke;
his lips are full of fury,
and his tongue is like a devouring fire;
28 his breath is like an overflowing stream
that reaches up to the neck;
to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction,
and to place on the jaws of the peoples a bridle that leads astray.

29You shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart, as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel. 30And the Lord will cause his majestic voice to be heard and the descending blow of his arm to be seen, in furious anger and a flame of devouring fire, with a cloudburst and storm and hailstones. 31The Assyrians will be terror-stricken at the voice of the Lord, when he strikes with his rod. 32And every stroke of the appointed staff that the Lord lays on them will be to the sound of tambourines and lyres. Battling with brandished arm, he will fight with them. 33For a burning place has long been prepared; indeed, for the king it is made ready, its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it.

–Isaiah 30

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Let’s take hold of God’s Word right where we are at and receive His wisdom and direction, His instruction and correction so that in every thought, word, and action He will receive the praise, the honor, and the glory in Jesus’s name, Amen.

Today’s devotional from The Global Impact Bible on the theme of the Bible’s impact on Acts of Charity on the subject of Upholding Women in Crisis. We learn that it points to an organization that is based on and inspired by today’s reading from verse 18 which reads:

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‘ Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.’

—Isaiah 30:18

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The organization is called Isaiah 30:18 Ministries. Looking up the organization to learn more about it I found this in their own words:

Power Up with Isaiah 30:18 Ministries
“Women Helping Women in Crisis”
Isaiah 30:18 Ministries is a non-denominational women’s ministry dedicated to helping women through crisis moments in life.  We provide mentoring, training, classes and programs all designed to empower women to rise up and become successful in every area of life.
Our programs are available both in the marketplace to women in business, in the church in the form of Bible and book studies and women’s conferences and other events, in the prison system and in working with women who struggle with addictive behaviors.
We believe in true change coming from within as we learn how to think of and view ourselves and the world around us differently.
We have a team of dedicated teachers and mentors who give of their time, talent and resources to empower women in all areas of life.
We are heavily invested in working inside the women’s correctional institutions in our state as both mentors and teachers and are creating programs to help the women as they re-enter society.
Check out our most current project underway, the opening of The Harbor Home, both a live-in and outpatient training center for women seeking help with addictive behaviors and those leaving incarceration seeking to establish a solid foundation with which to begin their life of freedom.
We believe in equipping women to live with power, passion and purpose in everything that we do.
Volunteer opportunities are available in the Central Arkansas area and we welcome you to contact us for more information and to discover how you can become a member of the Isaiah 30:18 Ministry Team…women of all ages, races, denominations and socio-economic backgrounds…coming together to make a difference in our community.

—About Isaiah 30:18 Ministries

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Today’s devotional points out that this organization helps women during times of crisis which includes women in prison and battling addiction. It goes on to speak out this ministry looks to live out Isaiah 30:18’s message of offering God’s mercy and grace to women in crisis. Today’s devotional closes by sharing how this organization which is based in Arkansas provides “Harbor Home project” to support women in outpatient or live-in assistance while they recover from addition or transition back into the community as they exit prison.

Everyone is going through something. Everyone is in some type of need. Will you seek the need and fill it? Will you notice the need and do something about it? Will you be God’s hands extended to help with a hand up? Will you be God’s arms of embrace to support and encourage? Will you be Jesus with skin on to people who may never step into a church in order that they may come to know and realize the reality of Jesus in their lives? Is today your day to start? Is today your day to try? Don’t lose hope! Don’t give up! Fear Not, Just Believe!

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Let’s pray… Let’s first pray to commit our lives back to God

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Next as we prepare for this day, let’s take hold of the Lord’s Prayer and align with God’s plans and purpose for today…

Now let’s get going with today and live out our lives as living sacrifices so that in and through it all God will receive the praise, the honor, and the glory in Jesus’s name. Let’s pray to forgive others…

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Heavenly Father, Thank You Lord for this new day. Thank You for Your Word that never returns void. Thank You for allowing me to step up and step into Your calling and Your plan for my life. Thank You Lord for eyes to see and ears to hear when there are new people. Thank You Lord for eyes to see and ears to hear when there are needing people. Help me today Lord to be observant and sensitive to Your Holy Spirit so that in it I will respond in a way that will bring You all the praise, the honor, and the glory in Jesus’s name. Amen.

Rescuing the Children of Incarcerated Parents … (THE BIBLE’S IMPACT ON ACTS OF CHARITY) [DEC 10]

What will happen to the children whose parents are taken away? What would happen to the children if those parents were put into prison? What would happen to the children if those parents were incarcerated for an extended period of time? What if those children didn’t have another parent to be with? What if those children didn’t have another relative to be with? What would happen to these children? Do we have a part in this? Will the part we play be something positive that will make a difference for the rest of their lives? Might then end up in the foster care system? Might there be something we can do to help pour love and hope and truth into their lives? Might it be possible to stop the pattern of their parents? Might it be possible to change the path of where the child will end up? Might giving them a different training, a different direction, a different path help them in achieving a different end point and result?

Today’s reading comes to us from Proverbs 22:

1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
and favor is better than silver or gold.
2 The rich and the poor meet together;
the Lord is the Maker of them all.
3 The prudent sees danger and hides himself,
but the simple go on and suffer for it.
4 The reward for humility and fear of the Lord
is riches and honor and life.
5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked;
whoever guards his soul will keep far from them.
6 Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.
7 The rich rules over the poor,
and the borrower is the slave of the lender.
8 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,
and the rod of his fury will fail.
9 Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed,
for he shares his bread with the poor.
10 Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out,
and quarreling and abuse will cease.
11 He who loves purity of heart,
and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.
12 The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,
but he overthrows the words of the traitor.
13 The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!
I shall be killed in the streets!”
14 The mouth of forbidden women is a deep pit;
he with whom the Lord is angry will fall into it.
15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.
16 Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth,
or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.

Words of the Wise

17 Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise,
and apply your heart to my knowledge,
18 for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you,
if all of them are ready on your lips.
19 That your trust may be in the Lord,
I have made them known to you today, even to you.
20 Have I not written for you thirty sayings
of counsel and knowledge,
21 to make you know what is right and true,
that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?
22 Do not rob the poor, because he is poor,
or crush the afflicted at the gate,
23 for the Lord will plead their cause
and rob of life those who rob them.
24 Make no friendship with a man given to anger,
nor go with a wrathful man,
25 lest you learn his ways
and entangle yourself in a snare.
26 Be not one of those who give pledges,
who put up security for debts.
27 If you have nothing with which to pay,
why should your bed be taken from under you?
28 Do not move the ancient landmark
that your fathers have set.
29 Do you see a man skillful in his work?
He will stand before kings;
he will not stand before obscure men.

–Proverbs 22

Today’s devotional from The Global Impact Bible on the theme of the Bible’s impact on Acts of Charity on the subject of Rescuing the Children of Incarcerated Parent. It points us to verse 6 from our reading today which says:

‘ Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.’

—Proverbs 22:6

It teaches us of a non-profit organization based in Matthews, North Carolina named after this verse Proverbs 22:6. Checking out their website, I found it starting with: 

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Transforming One Life at a Time

Statistics show that 70%-80% of kids whose parents are in prison
will end up in prison themselves. Our goal is to keep one million kids out of prison.

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The way they do this is by encouraging, engaging, educating, and empowering. How do they encourage you may ask? They initiate contact with the inmate through the warden. They encourage the incarcerated parent to become part of the child’s life. They help define the roles and responsibilities of the incarcerated parent. How do they engage you may ask? They help restore the foundation of the family unit through mending the relationship. They engage the parent through restorative activities. Both the parent and child commit to the program. How do they educate you may ask? They provide the child with financial support for post-secondary education until they graduate from college or the like. Child continues to excel educationally, emotionally and relationally. How do they empower you may ask? They promote accountability and offer academic mentoring. Child maintains a good educational standard in school. Child is influenced by parental encouragement and support.

Today’s devotional speaks of how the group provides mentoring and scholarships, and it works to help mend broken relationships. Today’s devotional speaks to how the name of the organization is taken directly from Proverbs 22:6 which teaches parents to set a good example in life so that children will learn how to live well.

Is there anything you can do? I know I am part of a group called T.R.A.C. – Teen Reach Adventure Camp which provides camps for foster teens. I know the national office has another program we are looking into called T.R.A.C.life which provide mentoring after camp for our campers with some of the great camp counselors who they will probably have met during camp. I used to be a part of another group for pre-teens called RFK – Royal Family Kids which is for foster kids and similarly provides camps and groups. Ever considered if there might be a way for you to help? Ever considered if there might be a way for you to take hold of Proverbs 22:6 first with your own kids if you have any and then for other kids who aren’t getting that encouragement, engagement, education, and empowerment they need?

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Let’s pray… Let’s first pray to commit our lives back to God

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Next as we prepare for this day, let’s take hold of the Lord’s Prayer and align with God’s plans and purpose for today…

Now let’s get going with today and live out our lives as living sacrifices so that in and through it all God will receive the praise, the honor, and the glory in Jesus’s name. Let’s pray to forgive others…

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Heavenly Father, Thank You Lord for this new day. I ask Lord as I am feeling better and going to go into work today that You would touch my body as the ultimate physician in order that complete healing and restoration would come upon and over me. Help me Lord to accomplish Your purpose and plans for me today while I rest and try to get better as quickly as possible. I lift up my family and my team and as for Your blessing and protection over them today. Help us Lord to live out today in a way that will bring You praise, honor, and glory in Jesus’s name. Amen.

HOMES FOR THE POOR … (THE BIBLE’S IMPACT ON ACTS OF CHARITY) [DEC 9]

Since the poor will always be with us, how can we do our part? Since the poor will always be with us, what can we do to help and support them? Since the poor will always be with us, where can we invest our time and resources to be good stewards? When do you want to help them? Where is the best place to try and help them and meet their needs? How will you try to make a difference? Will it be a temporary thing? Will it be something that continues since the need will never go away? Will it be spontaneous? Will it be planned and purposed? Deuteronomy speaks:

For there will never cease to be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide your hand to your brother and to the poor and needy in your land.

—Deuteronomy 15:11(ESV)

Luke see commandments to give to the poor:

“Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it.

—Luke 12:33 (NLT)

So now we go back to the original questions of what will we do? What can we do? How can we make the most of it? What is the best way to serve and to love and to give? What is the best way to be good stewards so that as we give to the poor we are not looking for a return and we trust that we are lending to the Lord and taking hold of the fact that even a cup of cold water given in the name of the Lord won’t go without reward.

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Today’s reading comes to us from Proverbs 19:

1 Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity
than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.
2 Desire without knowledge is not good,
and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.
3 When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin,
his heart rages against the Lord.
4 Wealth brings many new friends,
but a poor man is deserted by his friend.
5 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who breathes out lies will not escape.
6 Many seek the favor of a generous man,
and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts.
7 All a poor man’s brothers hate him;
how much more do his friends go far from him!
He pursues them with words, but does not have them.
8 Whoever gets sense loves his own soul;
he who keeps understanding will discover good.
9 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who breathes out lies will perish.
10 It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury,
much less for a slave to rule over princes.
11 Good sense makes one slow to anger,
and it is his glory to overlook an offense.
12 A king’s wrath is like the growling of a lion,
but his favor is like dew on the grass.
13 A foolish son is ruin to his father,
and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.
14 House and wealth are inherited from fathers,
but a prudent wife is from the Lord.
15 Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep,
and an idle person will suffer hunger.
16 Whoever keeps the commandment keeps his life;
he who despises his ways will die.
17 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,
and he will repay him for his deed.
18 Discipline your son, for there is hope;
do not set your heart on putting him to death.
19 A man of great wrath will pay the penalty,
for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.
20 Listen to advice and accept instruction,
that you may gain wisdom in the future.
21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
22 What is desired in a man is steadfast love,
and a poor man is better than a liar.
23 The fear of the Lord leads to life,
and whoever has it rests satisfied;
he will not be visited by harm.
24 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish
and will not even bring it back to his mouth.
25 Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence;
reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge.
26 He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother
is a son who brings shame and reproach.
27 Cease to hear instruction, my son,
and you will stray from the words of knowledge.
28 A worthless witness mocks at justice,
and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.
29 Condemnation is ready for scoffers,
and beating for the backs of fools.

—Proverbs 19

We see the focus verse that aligns with our devotional today comes from verse 17 which says:

‘ Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord , and he will repay him for his deed.’

—Proverbs 19:17

Today’s devotional from The Global Impact Bible on the theme of the Bible’s impact on Acts of Charity on the subject of Homes for the Poor. We learn in today’s devotional of a Texas charity named after today’s verse Proverbs 19:17 Ministries. We learn that their mission is to seek out families who are in need of decent, affordable housing, who would not have the means to improve their current living conditions. Families will always be chosen based on their level of need, willingness to participate in the “pay it forward program” and to partner in the building of their home and subsequent homes. We learn the CRITERIA…for the families to be considered are:

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•  citizens or legal residents
• employed with a steady income
• monthly income with in minimum and maximum limits
• be willing to work specific jobs assigned on building site
• make timely monthly payments on their “pay it forward” account
• financial counseling if necessary

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Today’s devotional puts the selection process as families are chosen based on their level of need, as well as their willingness to participate in the foundation’s pay it forward program which helps not only the family receiving the home with a 7 year interest free loan but also building homes for others. We learn from today’s devotional how today’s Bible verse was the inspiration for Proverbs 19:17 Ministries which says ‘ Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord , and he will repay him for his deed.’

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Let’s pray… Let’s first pray to commit our lives back to God

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Next as we prepare for this day, let’s take hold of the Lord’s Prayer and align with God’s plans and purpose for today…

Now let’s get going with today and live out our lives as living sacrifices so that in and through it all God will receive the praise, the honor, and the glory in Jesus’s name. Let’s pray to forgive others…

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Heavenly Father, Thank You Lord for this new day. I ask Lord as I am home and fighting a sickness that You would touch my body as the ultimate physician in order that complete healing and restoration would come upon and over me. Help me Lord to accomplish Your purpose and plans for me today while I rest and try to get better as quickly as possible. I lift up my family and my team and as for Your blessing and protection over them today. Help us Lord to live out today in a way that will bring You praise, honor, and glory in Jesus’s name. Amen.