30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 16 19-31 Released from self cetredness 03 Being a blessing in your context
📖 Luke 16:19-31
06May2020 - *Being a blessing in your context* - _Luke 16:19-31_ - Bible reading: _Ezekiel 16:49-50_
As we listen to this narrative that Jesus gave us, we see that it falls, very naturally, into two sections. The first one is about the life of the rich man on earth and the second is about the life of the rich man in hell.
What happened to the rich man on earth? He was self-centred. Self-centeredness will take us to hell.
We live in a world where people are rejecting God and are so centred on themselves. Everyone is waiting for this lock-down period to get over and to begin a new chapter. What will the new chapter look like? It will be a new form of self-centeredness. This is the reason God has permitted this pandemic to hit us, in order that our eyes will open and we will get out of our self-centeredness and be concerned for others, before it too late. If we do not learn our lesson now, humanity will be like the rich man, in hell, where we will then see everything clearly.
_Luke 16:19-23 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. (20) But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, (21) desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. (22) So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. (23) And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom._
As we read this narrative, we see that the link word between vs 19 and vs 20 is the word, _‘But’_. What it tells us is that the rich man did not see his life in context. We too fall in this same category. Life is all about us at the centre and even if we do connect with people it is more as an extra activity and not because we see ourselves in context.
God has placed us in a context, where people are caught in various struggles and challenges. If we are kept by God in a context, in a culture, in a language group with whom we are naturally related, then this is not an accident. God has kept us in this context in order that we will not be self-centred but others concerned.
Many of us, especially from the developing world, do like our context and we run away from our context. If we have not left our context for more greener pastures, then we ensure that our children will definitely not live in our difficult context. We have reached this level of obnoxiousness that we give biblical confirmations for our/children’s move and we also evaluate our status between ourselves on the basis of where we/our children are settled.
This was the sin of Sodom and her daughter. We generally consider the sin of Sodom to be homosexuality but let us look at what God is showing us. _Ezekiel 16:49-50 Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. (50) And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit._
We do not like to associate with those whom society does not place a premium on. We in the developing world are blessed because the neglected people are all around us. Sadly, since we witness neglect and wretchedness continuously, we have taught ourselves of how to be insulated and have shielded ourselves from our context by mixing with people of our own level of social standing, whereas the people who are struggling in our context become the object/beneficiaries of our ministry, but not the ones with whom, we identify with.
_James 2:1-8 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. (2) For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, (3) and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool," (4) have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? (5) Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? (6) But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? (7) Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? (8) If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you do well;_
*Thought to ponder*
```Will we repent and accept our context as the place and people for whom God has kept us?```