Psalm 121:1 “I will
lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” (KJV)
HELP
Honor, Encourage, Lead, (and) Protect
Several
times in the past few years I have felt like I was running to catch up and not
really able to handle everything that was happening. Job changes, health
challenges, expectations on my time imposed by outsiders, and countless other
inconveniences caused me to consider “throwing in the towel” or at the very
least throwing a fit and crying out for help. We have all been in situations
that caused us to want to yell, “Help!”
As
Christians we should understand that our help comes from the Lord. God is always
willing and able to help us in every situation, but He also expects us, as His
children, to help others in their times of need. God is omnipotent —
all-powerful, and omniscient — all knowing. He could with a word wipe out all
our problems and turn every situation around, but He chooses to work through
His children in order to accomplish His will. As Christians, we have a
responsibility to HELP.
Real help
addresses the root of the problem in a way that does not degrade, or demoralize
the person in need of assistance. HELP
begins with H – Honor. Are we reluctant to accept the help we so desperately need?
If we hold back or shy away from help how can we expect those to whom we are
trying to minister to be any less reluctant? The root problem in this world is
sin. The help we all need is help overcoming sin. Making the right choices at
the right time for the right reasons in the right way will eliminate sin. Any
real help is honoring to the person being helped. We cannot reach or assist
those we do not honor.
Honoring
someone in this case is not putting the individual up on some sort of pedestal.
It is not praising them falsely or in any way being insincere. I simply mean
valuing them as one of God’s most precious creations. God throughout His word
teaches us how we can be honoring to Him and to each other as we live to give
Him glory. He also outlines how we can assure His aid in our decision making
throughout our lives. We must honor God by honoring each other. (Isaiah 58:9-10)
Honoring
each other, means that we will not maliciously find fault or fix blame onto
others. We will not allow people to oppress the weak, fatherless, or widowed.
We will make every effort to use the resources at our disposal to meet the
needs of the widowed, the needy, and the fatherless. Feeding the hungry,
clothing the naked, and satisfying the needs of the oppressed illustrates and
emphasizes our dependence upon God because in ourselves we cannot meet these
needs. Keeping God’s commandments will open the door for His intervention in
our lives without diminishing the value of either His grace or His mercy. (Romans
13:7-9)
Respect for
our fellowman is demonstrated when we fulfill the law of love. Honoring an
individual means that we make an effort to give them what should be theirs. The
debt we owe every person is love. Our love for God is acted out in our
relationships with mankind. Our obedience to all the laws of God is measured by
how we treat our neighbors.
Helping
others means that we will go to the same lengths to satisfy any individuals
real needs. There is no doubt that we love ourselves. We care for our daily
needs. We rarely deny ourselves any convenience, and most of us go to great
lengths to satisfy our felt needs (These would be our wants.). God does not
show favoritism. Anyone willing to honor Him can have access to Him according
to His word, but His word also calls upon us to reach out to others and care
for the needs of individuals. (1Samuel 2:30)
According
to that verse, God honors those who honor Him and that is not contingent upon
our heritage, but is clearly connected to our attitude. God judges us on our
faithfulness to Him. When we are faithful to God we will bless others with the
honor that is due them. We realize, of
course, any time we personally are honored it becomes encouraging to us.
Encouragement strengthens us. The next letter in HELP is E – Encourage.
God
encourages everyone in need by listening to the cries of the helpless and
defending the oppressed. There are times when deliverance can only be secured
through a Sovereign move of God, but His help most often comes through human
hands –– hands that have been committed to Him. Offering HELP that honors and
encourages an individual while we lead them into righteousness depends upon
wisdom that comes from God. We must discern His will in each case and do away
with injustice. (Psalm 10:17-18)
Mankind
creates injustice when we refuse to live according to the will of God.
Misinterpretation, misrepresentation, and misapplication are three problems we
face when we attempt to comprehend God’s will from any human perspective.
Divine inspiration always lines up with the Divine revelation God has provided
in His word. Because, we can rest assured His will never contradicts His word,
searching the scriptures and understanding the direction of the Holy Spirit
will teach us — honor offered appropriately is encouraging, leads us into
righteousness and it protects us. We are commanded, according to scripture, to
build each other up. (1Thessalonians 5:11-14)
Taking
action and doing something to make the world we live in a better place is a
vital component of our Christian faith. We, as children of God, have a
responsibility to warn, encourage, help, and extend patience toward all. These
things flow from the mutual respect we share with our brothers and sisters.
Hard work is the measure of what is worthy of respect and regard. Earlier we
explored the acronym WORK – Willingly Offer Refreshing Kinship. The kinship or
kindness being spoken of here is dedicated to leading people into
righteousness. Discipleship is a must. The next letter in HELP is L — Lead. (2Timothy 4:2)
Proclaiming
the truth of the Gospel is the responsibility of every believer. Therefore, we
can all answer the call to leadership on some level. Look behind you - is any
one following you? Then you are a leader. Look around the next time you are
speaking - is anyone listening? Then you are a leader.
I hesitate
to tell this story but in a sense it illustrates the point I am making, so, I
will ask your indulgence for just a moment. My mother still occasionally gets a
chuckle from this story; so I hope you will see the humor in it as well. When I
was very young somewhere between the ages of three and five, my family was
taking a trip and as children so often do, I was attempting to get my parents
attention to address whatever a person of that age might think was of critical
importance, and as parents so often do I was being ignored or placated. All of
a sudden, I got everyone’s attention when I said, “Oh, hell, nobody listens to
me anyway.” After the initial shock passed and my parents figured out just
where they thought I might have learned that word, they taught me two lessons.
First,
someone is always listening and second children should not use some words! That
truth was inevitable re-enforced by a word of correction. Regardless of whom we
are at various times we are leading because someone is always paying attention
to what we do or say. And, no matter whom we are at some point we will be rebuked
(Count on it). If you think rebuke is
too harsh a description perhaps you prefer to be more politically correct and
use challenged. Weather we are challenged or rebuked, training in righteousness
is our aim. If the HELP we both
offer and receive does not challenge us to a higher standard it is not leading
us into the righteousness God intends. Leading others into holiness, and
righteousness, before the Lord, calls upon us to live as an example in public
as well as in private. The eyes of the Lord are not the only eyes that see us.
We do not know when the trumpet of the Lord shall sound to call us into His
rest, but we do know that while we are here the way we live matters. The goal
is growing in godliness and true holiness. The next letter in HELP is P — Protect.
Helping
others see the benefits of righteousness is impossible without both love and
justice. Avoiding the deeds of faithless people and keeping vile things from
before our eyes is proving to be a full time job in today’s world, but
emphasizes the importance and necessity that Christians protect each other.
This world,
void of Christian influence, or protection becomes a very dark place indeed. It
is no accident that Justice (the statue) holds a scale. Seeking justice and
balancing it with love brings us to mercy. Grace and mercy flow from the heart
of God, but make no mistake: He is just in all He does. Because we accept and
believe these things, we protect our witness as well as those we care about. We
protect them from the influence of the world. Resting in the knowledge and
assurance that really the Holy Spirit has the responsibility to lead, guide and
protect us as we depend upon and serve the Lord. (Psalm 101:1-3)
This
scripture reminds us that as we step out in faith to Honor, Encourage, Lead, (and) Protect — HELP all who
are in need, we cannot neglect our own spiritual condition. The spotlight of
the Holy Spirit out of necessity searches our hearts anytime He is invited and
our obedience will bring our ways into alignment with God’s. We can
successfully travel the road toward righteousness following His leading. His
correction and direction keep our feet from slipping off the narrow path. The
essential element is our invitation allowing God to search our hearts. He will
never violate our freewill. The psalmist gives us the pattern for the
invitation to be known by God in Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And
see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
(KJV)
Once we
live employing His plan, we shine like the brightness of heaven in this dark
world. Eternity allows those who lead many to righteousness to continue
shining. (Daniel 12:3)
There is a
record of our actions. God is keeping track. Living the full Gospel message is
more than being part of a social club. It calls us to Christian action. If we
allow injustice, if we refuse to protect those who cannot protect themselves,
if we do not maintain reverence toward the Lord; there will be a price to pay.
Leading people into righteousness insists that we walk humbly before God, and
defend the standard that God has established in His word.
The law of
God cannot be ignored without consequences. Every member of society regardless
of station, position, or wealth has worth in the Kingdom of God. We cannot
afford to think too highly of the material possessions or status we gain in
this life. What we do with the truth God reveals becomes the hallmark of our
religion. God is coming to judge our lives by His standard. (Malachi 3:5)
Superman,
it seems, had two-thirds of an outstanding motto. Do you remember what it was?
(Truth, Justice, and The American Way) As Christians our motto should be,
“Truth, Justice and God’s way!” The book of James teaches us that our religion
can be pure and faultless with effort. Keeping our lives from the polluted
elements of this world allows us to leap into the correct response and be
willing to protect those in need of protection. (James 1:27)
God has
promised to act on behalf of the needy. He does protect and provide for us
according to His plan. As His children we should follow His example. It is time
that we fulfill our responsibility and become the reflection of our Father in
Heaven. (Psalm 12:5)
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