Michael Foley

A Few Verses To Scribble.....

These thoughts are as much for me as they are for anyone who would read this page. I feel that God has nuggets of truth every time we read his word... these are just a few of my thoughts.

Ok, a couple more thoughts on Romans. This time looking at Romans 9: 15-16,21. First lets take a peak at verses 15-16; "15...For He says to Moses, "I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION." 16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy."

I have had many discussions with friends surrounding scriptures like these. Why do bad things happen to godly people? or Why did God allow this success to follow a person who does not love Him? It's interesting because it shows that as a flawed vessel, we have a scale of what we feel people deserve or should attain. We look at the world through our lens and surmise that we know what justice is. I'm far from perfect. There are days when I fail miserably in my walk with Christ but, one lesson that I feel God is constantly teaching me is the lesson of scope.

God is teaching me what verse 15 is discussing.... I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION." Although it is true that we will never truly understand or comprehend God, it is also true that He give us clear clues of His majesty through His word. When my visual scope of life is narrow, and I strictly look at my life's circumstances, I see every injustice in my life but never see the grace and mercy. It seems that I'm always looking at what others are attaining.  But when I zoom out and look at life though a panoramic lens, I see a much different picture. I see the grace, mercy, and compassion, all the while the injustice seems much smaller in comparison.

Let me give you a very quick example. When I look at life through the narrow scope and see success in the lives of others, it's very easy for me to look to God and say..."Hey, spread the love! I trying to live my life according to Your word, so where's the reward? I deserve it as much as he does!" But, when I see life through that panoramic lens, I see a much different picture. I see the success in others but, I also see the struggles that families are going through. I see devastated families being torn by financial hardship. I see fathers putting jobs before God and family. I see moms putting on the face of happiness when it feels like the world is collapsing around them. The take away for me is this: Sure God could give me the success of some but, I could also get the struggles that others have received. When I look through that panoramic scope... I count myself blessed and thank God for what He has chosen to do in my life. 

Lets quickly, look at verse 21.... " 21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?" I absolutely love this scripture because it shows the greatness of God and the plans that he has for us. When I look at my life, I never really know what plans God has for me. I don't think that I'll ever really understand if I'm meant for an "honorable use" or just a "common use" but what I do know is this; what ever plans God has for me, greatness can come out of it. But how can anything great come out of an average guy like me? Let's put it this way.... Steve Jobs founded Apple computers in 1986 and built the company into the powerhouse that it is today. Early in Apples development he left Apple and the company almost went out of business. Apple brought him back and he rescued the company. Apple is a true American success story. I'm here to tell you that I'll never (at least I don't think so) be like Steve Jobs. Or Billy Graham. Or Bill Gates. Or Chuck Swindoll. These men have held "honorable" positions and have single-handedly touched the lives of millions.

But how does greatness come from something as common as you and me? Well... you may be a welder, plumber, contractor, construction worker, accountant, architect, or you may be a interior designer, carpet layer, landscaper or concrete worker. And while it may seem that nothing "honorable" can come from these folks. The beauty is when you put all that commonality together, and they put their talents together. You can get something spectacular.... you get Fenway! My thought is this.... Even if you have a common purpose, don't think for a moment that God will not use your talents along with others for a tremendous purpose. Never diminish what God can do in your life. Whether is a Honorable or Common purpose.... the outcome can be great!

A Few Verses To Scribble......

These thoughts are as much for me as they are for anyone who would read this page. I feel that God has nuggets of truth every time we read his word... these are just a few of my thoughts.

Ok... continuing my trek through Romans brings us to Romans 8: 28,32.

First, lets look at Romans 8:28. I don't know about you but, tell me if this sounds familiar. You have a friend going through a really difficult time and a few of his buddies gather around to give some moral support. Finally it happens, after much discussion and without much progress taking place, someone pipes up with "The bible tells us that God makes all our bad situations work out for good." I think that if we all took a look at ourselves and were honest, we'd probably all recognize that we've been that buddy a time or two. As a true friend, we want to ease the pain of those whom we are closest to but we dont' want to use bad theology to do it. This verse is talking about our relationship with God. So when His word tells us that "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God," He's not talking about or earthly happiness (which God does care about) but, He's talking about the process of conforming us the the image of God. God desires us to strive to live a righteous life. I'm here to tell you, that "process" is not without pain and most certainly can involve emotional stress. We must remember that we have two natures, our "human" nature and our "Godly" nature. When these natures collide, it's painful. But, when God is doing the work, the end-result is "Good" for those whom love Him.

Let's take a quick look at Romans 8:32. This is one of my favorite verses in Romans because it gives you confidence that God will equip you by any means necessary to accomplish His will for your life. Have you ever been assigned a task to complete but had absolutely zero idea on how to get it done? I've had it happen both in my professional life and on the "honey-do" list. I'm sure that many men will agree that sometimes it's just easier to call the professionals to get the job done! Well, this is what Romans 8:32 is really telling us. Essentially, God is saying" Hey, did I not give My Son to die for you? Then why would I not give you every tool necessary to be successful in the job that I have for you? I will withhold NOTHING from you."

When you combine these scriptures, the story looks like this. God is conforming all of His children to be like Him and He's doing in on a continuous basis. There will be times in your life when the process will hurt because we don't understand what God is doing. But know this, God never fails us...NEVER!. As He's conforming us, He's still asking us to obey Him and His word. When we know God telling us to do something, He will give us every tool necessary to successfully accomplish that task. The bonus..... comes in verse 33...."Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies" .... In the words of Charles Stanley..."Obey God and leave the consequences to Him!"

A Few Verses To Scribble.....

These thoughts are as much for me as they are for anyone who would read this page. I feel that God has nuggets of truth every time we read his word... these are just a few of my thoughts.

Ok... It's been a while since I've had the chance to blog about what God has been telling me through His words. I feel like I lose a connection when I can't blog.

Currently, I'm taking a nice, slow read through Romans. I seem to get more out of His words when I take it slow. Romans 1-3 basically is telling us that we all come way short of the mark that God has set for each of us (Both the Jews and the Gentiles were falling short of the standard). None of us are righteous and all of us are sinners. Without the righteousness that Christ gives, we are all destined for hell.

But that brings me back to Romans 2:1. Here Paul is telling us (actually the Jews, but us as well) that we are not to judge others, as all of us will fall short when we use the law as our standard. What's interesting to me is the fact that I have a Mike Foley version of God. It's not that I limit what God can do, He created everything so to limit Him would be nuts. But what I do is characterize Him according to what I think He is like. Let me give you an example, the Mike Foley version of God says that there is no way you could call your self a Christian and watch Rated R movies like Pulp Fiction. Why? Because God tell us to stay away from the appearance of sin and from what I'm told, Pulp Fiction has zero redeeming value to our relationship with God. And what about Christians who get hammered at the bar, or the guy who cusses like a sailor with a sunburn. You see, I have this version of God that tells me what Christians look like.

But this is my flaw. This is the thorn in the side of my walk with Christ. When I judge those who are on their journey with God, I've already judged myself. Sure, I can point to the "sin" in others but, at the end of the day, I have so much garbage in my life that it's hypocritical of me to even postulate as to what others should be doing in their journey. In Romans 2... it's not the judging that's the issue...it's the hypocritical judging that Paul teaches against.

God has been dealing with me about this issue for some time now and it's interesting to be reading Roman right now. I guess God has His own divine timing for everything.

My takeaway is this: We are all on our journey with God AND we are all coming to Him from different life experiences with flawed histories. As long as we are all earnestly seeking God and wanting to get to know Him more.... who am I to judge anyone. God will judge all acts according to His standard. But the key here is that word SEEK. We must remember that with redemption comes a journey.... the journey does not end with redemption.

Anyway, I pray that God continues to talk to me through His words.

A Few Verses To Scribble.....

These thoughts are as much for me as they are for anyone who would read this page. I feel that God has nuggets of truth every time we read his word... these are just a few of my thoughts.

Let's take a very quick peak at John 16... more specifically, lets look at John 16:23. Here is the setting; Christ is eating with His disciples and He is talking about him immediate future. Jesus is talking a lot about His own death and resurrection. The disciples don't really understand but Jesus finally gets them to the place were they except the fact that He will soon die. So we get the verse 16 and Jesus tells his disciples...""In that day you will not question Me about anything Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you."

I'm pretty sure that we've all heard this passage a million times and it's usually followed by some T.V evangelist telling us to ask God for Money, Health, or Happiness. I've seen it used by fellow Christians as they offer help to someone going through a difficult time personally. In my personal prayers, I've used the statement in hopes that God will answer my prayers the way that I want Him too; according to my plan for my life. In my view.... this is all wrong.

Lets look at the context of this verse again. Again, Christ is sitting with His disciples and telling them of His immediate death. He's telling them that the world hates God so the world will hate them. He's telling them that the road will be hard for them but the end result will be Glory. He's telling them about a comforter who is about to come. He's praying to His Father; telling Him that the disciples finally understand the stakes and what their role is. In essence, He's handing the baton off to the disciples and tell them in John 17:18 ...."As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world." It was now up to the disciples to spread the Gospel to all the world. It was in this context that Jesus tells them to ask for anything from God and it will be given. What ever they need to get the job done, God will provide it.

Am I saying that we shouldn't bring our needs to God, absolutely not. In fact, the Lords Prayer is just that; the bringing of our basic needs to God that He alone would sustain us. What I am saying is that it's a travesty that we have taken the sacred words of Jesus to mean "give me what ever I want." The focus is not on God but on us and our agendas instead of focusing on God and His will for our lives.

In the future, I'm going to focus on 1 John 5:14 because this takes to focus off what I want for myself and forces me to look at my life through God's will. That's a lot easier said then done but, I do find contentment when I strive to walk in His will for my life.

A Few Verses To Scribble....

These thoughts are as much for me as they are for anyone who would read this page. I feel that God has nuggets of truth every time we read His word... these are just a few of my thoughts.

I'm still in John and reading/dissecting/trying to understand the words of Jesus. It's amazing when you think about His life and the influence that he had on those around Him. Thomas was one of those that Christ had a profound impact on.

When we think of Thomas... What do we go back to? Usually we think of this doubter, this man who couldn't not believe that Christ had risen. As I recollect on my 36 years of listening to sermons, I don't recall one that talks about the strength of Thomas. The message that I remember was.... Don't be Thomas, Don't be a doubter.

That said, I encourage you to look at Thomas for who he was. Look at John 11:16 and tell me that Thomas was weak. Tell me that Thomas was somehow a lesser disciple of Jesus. I would say the contrary to that... I would say that he was strong.

In John 11, a very good friend of Jesus was ill to the point of death. Actually is was one of his best friends and his name was Lazarus. It's important to understand that at this time, Jesus was a hunted man and the Pharisees wanted him dead. Jesus knew this and his disciples knew this. When Jesus gets word that his friend was very ill... What did He do?  He delayed his arrival for two days. But why? That answer is in verses 14-15, Jesus tells them that they are about to see something amazing and He told them that Lazarus had died.

I just picture what's going on here. In verses 7-8 Jesus tells his disciples that He was going back to the place where He's a wanted man. Everyone knew that the Jews wanted Him dead, but yet, He was going. His disciples try to talk him out of it but Jesus makes an classic statement in verse 9Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  10"But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." This statement has really two meanings. 1.) The obvious, if we go during the day, the Pharisees will not try to kill me. Not in front of all these people anyway. (It's interesting to note that Christ was taken into custody at night before his was crucified). 2.) He was also making the point that if you except Christ as your light, you will not perish but, those who walk in darkness, they inherit death because they are not in Christ.

So we go back to the statement by Thomas in verse 16 Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, so that we may die with Him."

Thomas was not a weak disciple. He was not a cowardly man. He was a very strong man who was emotionally attached to Jesus in a very significant way. Thomas stepped up and told all his buddies.. If Jesus is going to Bethany, then I'm going to Bethany; Even if it means my death. Weak men don't make these statements. It's no wonder that Thomas was the "doubter", he loved Jesus so much that when He was taken from him, it torn Thomas to the core. Some may see Thomas as a doubter but, I see him as a man willing to die for Jesus/with Jesus. That's pretty awesome stuff if you ask me.

A Few Verses To Scribble......

These thoughts are as much for me as they are for anyone who would read this page. I feel that God has nuggets of truth every time we read His word... these are just a few of my thoughts.

This week I've been going through John 8. If you've never gone through the Gospels and focused on every word that Jesus speaks, I'd encourage you to take the journey. I'm astounded at what He says, how He says it, and how it's received. John 8 is no exception in, in fact, it's a classic example of standing up to injustice and knowing where you come from. I know there are a ton of angles to be taken with the chapter but, I've chose just 2.

In John 8 we see a couple of astounding interactions taking place. 1.) The adulterous women and 2.) The confrontation with the Pharisees. We'll look at each one very specifically.

John 8:1-10 tells the story of this adulterous woman. In a nut shell, Jesus is teaching in the temple and the Pharisees drag this poor woman into the center of the court. Basically, the Pharisees publicly humiliated her in front of the entire town.  I love this story because Jesus never says a word at first. The Pharisees are telling Jesus, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act.
Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say? They were saying this,⁾testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him." So what does Jesus do..... He starts doodling words in the dirt. I've wondered what words He was writing. Maybe He was writing things like lust, pride, murders, envy, lier, false teacher, or drunkard. If many of us were honest, we'd recognize that He was probably writing about many of the issues that we struggle with today. And after He wrote these words, He utters this classic, subtle blast. "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." There are lessons here for all of us. 1.) Know what the bible says. The Pharisees implied that the law states to stone her. This is a half truth. The law states that they should stone both the man and the woman. 2.) Jesus never judged the woman nor did He condone her actions. What He did is an example for all of us. He told her to get on with her life and sin no more. I'm sure we've all come across judgmental Christians and wondered where the love was. Jesus displayed the love of God beautifully here. She didn't need judgment... she needed direction and forgiveness.

John 8:12-52 is an awesome exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees. Check out these versus:

28 So Jesus said, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.

29"And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him."

42Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.

54Jesus answered, "If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, 'He is our God';

 

I love these passages because it reinforces the message that I feel we all need to hear....It's all about God!. Jesus recognizes this and always points to the Father in every circumstance. He never takes credit from flawed men, He only recognizes the glory that comes from the Father. How many of us, myself included, seek the affirmation of others? How many of us seek that "pat on the back". What I'm finding in my journey is that these "pats" feel hollow, loveless, uncaring, and are fleeting. God desires us all to do what Jesus did; seek our affirmation from Him who gives it unconditionally. Divert the earthly attention to God and let God give you the fulfilling honor that can only come from Him. Is this easy....No.  Does it make you life more amazing to live.....Yes. 

A Few Verses To Scribble....

These thoughts are as much for me as they are for anyone who would read this page. I feel that God has nuggets of truth every time we read his word... these are just a few of my thoughts.

This passage if from John Chapter 5. You know, sometimes you read about a "sign" of Jesus and it's spectacular. Many of these signs were done in private, others were down in front of thousands. This sign was done mostly in private (it was a public place but, no one was paying attention to it.) as the scriptures do not mention others noticing or being involved. So, here is the setting. A man, who had be ill for 38 years (38 years of not being able to walk) was making his way to the pools. What was cool about these pools was that at certain seasons an angel would appear and stir the waters. Once the waters were stirred a healing took place but, you had to be the first one into the pool to be healed. So, lets picture this man who has been lame for 38 years. Picture him trying to make his way to the pool being bypassed by many others who were sick but mobile. This man never had a chance to be the first on into the pool. How could he as the scriptures tell us that he had no one to help him into the water. He was, for all intense and purposes, a paraplegic.

But here comes a Rabbi, a teacher; here comes Jesus. John 5:6 offers the solution to the mans life long battle with this disease. Jesus simply asks him if he wants to be healed and the man responds like many of us would. He says, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me." What strikes me here is that the man found no hope in anything other than the pool.  He's saying... Of course I want to be healed but I don't have a chance... look at all these people and I have these bum legs. Of course I want to be healed but I have no one to help me. (The scripture tells us that Jesus knew he was ill for many years. But, I don't think this knowledge had anything to do with Jesus being the Son of God. If you know about muscular atrophy, his legs would have been like bean poles and obvious to anyone that he couldn't walk.) After this brief dialog... literally about a 30 second exchange, Jesus simply tells him to get up and walk. What I find awesome about this sign is that Jesus doesn't just give him the ability to walk, but he also gives him the strength; it's really two miracles in one. This brings me to my first thought about this passage, God will never tell you to do something and not give you the capacity to do it. God will  give us the strength to do what he asks of us. Think about this the next time you feel God stretching you in a new direction.So, the man is healed and Jesus literally vanishes into the crowd. The man didn't know who healed him.

So picture this, a man, whom the city had to know, was walking around with his mat. I'm sure this man was smiling from ear to ear as he walked through the town for the first time ever.  But as the man came across the Jewish Priest's, check out this exchange in John 5:9-13. The man is walking around town with his rolled up mat. As he is walking, he comes across the Priest's and what do they say? Is it, "How is it you are walking?" Or, is it "Come see the lame man who walks!!" No, the Priest's look right past the sign and focus in on the violation of the law; He was caring his mat on the Sabbath. Are you kidding me? This is there response to a lame man walking; "It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet."

This brings me to my second thought about this passage. No wonder the High Priest's never understood Jesus. They couldn't see past their self made laws. It's another example that some folk just don't (won't) understand what God is doing in peoples lives. But, for my life, the larger lesson here is simple; (In the words of Charles Stanley) Do what God says and leave the consequences to Him. See, Jesus told the man to walk and he did. The Priest didn't like it the fact that the man broke the Sabbath but, they didn't take their frustrations out on the student, they took their frustrations out of the teacher. They began to plot to kill the teacher; they plotted to kill Jesus.

The nuggets I get for today....1.God will not ask you to do something without giving you the capacity to do it. 2. Obey God and leave the consequences to Him..... this is my struggle.

Much more to come on John Chapter 5....

A Few Verses to Scribble.....

These thoughts are as much for me as they are for anyone who would read this page. I feel that God has nuggets of truth every time we read his word... these are just a few of my thoughts.

So, I'm starting to go back through the Gospels but this time with an intense focus on the words of Christ. The more I study the bible, the more I realize that there is never a wasted word. Each verse is there for a reason and needs to be dissected and understood. As my spiritual journey continues, I'm starting with John. I love reading John. John writes with emotion and feeling. He writes as though wanting someone to understand the essence of the Christ that he knew. But, then again, he did write the book for someone looking for that essence because the book was written for me (and you).

Anyway, have you ever read a passage from the bible and there's something about it that just won't let go of you? Something about the characters, the words, the storyline just resonates with you. That's happening to me with Nicodemus. Here are a few thoughts that I have surrounding Nicodemus in John 3:10-21:

1. Here comes a Pharisee, Nicodemus, seeking information from Jesus, about Jesus. He came at night so it's obvious that he didn't want to be seen but, he did want answers to his questions. Very few Pharisees believed in Jesus miracles but Nicodemus did, otherwise, why would he ever come to Jesus to ask about his teaching. He also believed that he was from God.... as a "teacher". So, he gives Jesus some credit but, not divine credit.

2. Nicodemus just can not grasp the concept of being "born again". Jesus explains everything to him very plainly but, Nicodemus just can not (or does not want to) grasp it.... he says, "How can this be?"

3. The part that sticks with me is this....I was reading in James 3:1 about how being a teacher comes with stricter judgment. In John 3:10, Jesus calls out Nicodemus for not being a good teacher. Basically saying.. ...You call yourself a teacher but do not understand the teachings of the Old Testament?  You call yourself a teacher? Have you not read Isaiah 44:3 or Ezekiel 36:26-27? If you had you would know about my Spirit..... WOW!!! Jesus confronts Nicodemus, who Jesus calls "the teacher of Israel", in his inadequacy as a teacher. This sticks with me because I know that as much as I want to learn about Christ, I'll never truly know how great He is. It also sticks with me because it's a premise for the notion that just because someone is respected as a teacher... doesn't make them a good teacher.

4. The final thing that sticks with me in John 3 is this: John 3:11-12 tells us that some will just never believe, no matter what we do.  Here Jesus basically tells Nicodemus....Hey, I've performed all kinds of signs for you, I tell you the truth of what I know, and we tell you of the things that we have seen but, you still don't believe. Hey fella, if you can't believe what is seen, how on earth will you believe in the things you can't see?......OUCH!!! How true is that for all of us. We have this idea that God has to prove himself God to us. We tell God, to do something so that we will believe. The problem is, the Spirit of God is moving (proving) around us all the time and many of us never know Him, feel Him, or acknowledge Him. How scary is that?

I guess the point is that there was a time in my life that I was like Nicodemus. I knew God only in a certain way. He had to fit in the box that I made for him. But, I've found that God is much bigger than my box. Now my perspective is changing a bit. I'm trying to see things through His eyes. Think of it this way: We hold a box in our hand and try to put God in it... But, God is holding a box that contains the entire universe... that's the perspective that I want to have of God.

PS..... Bonus Info

1. Any time that John uses the term "lifed up"... he is referring to the death of Christ.

2. I love the fact that instead of miracles, John refers to them as "signs". John was more concerned about the process of the "sign" than he was about the end product of the miracle.

3. One question has me stumped... How did Mary know that Jesus could turn the water to wine? This is his first recorded miracle by Jesus in the bible so there was no precedent to say he could do this.In fact, Jesus didn't want to do it...he said "my hour has not yet come" but, he did it because His mother asked him to. My only thought is that he must have done some miracles at home, with his family, so they knew He could do this.

A Few Verses To Scribble......

These thoughts are as much for me as they are for anyone who would read this page. I feel that God has nuggets of truth every time we read his word... these are just a few of my thoughts.

This week I've been going through James. You know, it seems that when I'm going through the valleys of life, James is that  book that I currently reading. Maybe I should keep away from James from now on.....lol

Anyway, here are a couple of thoughts that I got from James. First, James 1: 3-5 tells us that when we go though trials, it's actually a good thing. It's good because it tests our faith and that testing gives us the endurance to run this race. My favorite part of this section is verse 5 where it tells us that if we are lacking in wisdom, to pray to the Father and He will give with without reproach and give it generously. I don't know about you but there are many times when I go through difficult times when wisdom seems to be fleeting and I rely on my own ability to get me through. But as you grow in your faith in Christ, when you going through the valleys of life, these are the times to pray to God for wisdom and also that you're learning the lessons from these trials. These lessons are what's being talked about in verse 3. When our backs are against the wall and the obstacles of life have you pinned down, the testing of your faith brings endurance, and this endurance brings about a completeness or "wholeness" of our faith. This completeness is what makes the trials manageable. Just remember when you read verse 3, the word perfect is translated as whole. That makes a big difference when you read it because we are never perfect but it does say that our faith can be make complete or whole, lacking nothing.

I have a saying..... there are sayers and doers, I need you to be a doer. James 1:22 tells us that as Christians it's not good enough to have a head knowledge of the bible, but rather, we must have a workman's knowledge of the bible. Sometimes I think that the church has lost it's way in this area. There are many Church's who teach/preach about the lost, poverty, homelessness, and disease but, how many churches are doing something about the topics in which they teach? As Christians, each of us have an obligation to live the word of God out in our daily lives. Look for opportunities to minister to those who need it. Look at it this way, after you've met someones physical need, you can take care of their spiritual need. If they don't have a physical need, then help with an emotional need. If they don't have an emotional need, then show them the love of Christ that lives in you. In a nutshell.....DO SOMETHING! This ties directly with the next thought.....

James 2: 14-17 tells us that faith without works is dead. I love the analogy that James uses here... that when a brother or sister is without clothes or food and a Christians tells them "Go in peace, be warm and filled." but does nothing the fill the need, what good is it. The fact is, no good comes out of it. James 2:26 spells it out plain and clear "For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead."

A Verses To Scribble....

1 Peter 3:17 tells us that sometimes we'll will go through hard times if God "wills" it. I know many people who think that because you are Christian that you will never go through hard times. Many preachers teach that God only wants us to prosper, have good health, and be an overall success.  In fact God tells us that it is better to suffer for what is right (Christ) than for what is wrong (Our Interest). The perfect example is the martyrs; they suffered intense pain as they were tortured and eventually died for their faith. It was Gods will that they suffered and died for Him. So the next time that you hear a preacher say..."God wants to give you Money, Health, and Prosperity!" count it all as garbage. What God wants is for you to serve Him and Him alone..... and their is a price for that.