This passage
is talking about God’s faithfulness to Israel—He has not given up on them. He
promised Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3…and I
will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and
so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one
who curses you I will curse. and in you all the families of the earth will be
blessed. This is such a promise for the nation of Israel—and for the entire
world. It is also a warning. God will bless those who bless Israel and those
who mistreat Israel can look forward to the same mistreatment (or curse) that
they gave. I see this as kind of a forerunner of the Golden Rule. Treat others the same way you want them to
treat you. Luke 6:31
All the ends
of the earth haven’t yet seen the salvation of our God. As He (Jesus) was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to
Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things happen, and what
will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" And Jesus
answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. ...This
gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to
all the nations, and then the end will come." Matthew 24:3-4, 14. The
gospel will be preached in the whole world. There is a 10-40 window that
missionaries are targeting to reach the unreached people groups. That window is
between the 10 degrees and 40 degrees north latitudes where the world’s poorest
people live. My guess is that they are both financially and spiritually poor.
We are so blessed here in the United States to have an abundance of food, fresh
water, and good education, as well as the freedom to worship our God. But look
around you. We have spiritually poor living next door…and financially poor
living across town. Does our faithfulness to God include reaching out to those
in our neighborhood and community who don’t know the Lord? Be the hands and
feet of Jesus today…and treat others around you the way you would want to be
treated…with the love of the Lord.
Training Tip – Look at a globe or a world map with your family. Identify the 10-40 window and name some of the countries in that region. Do you know any people who are from that area? Are they Christian? If so, ask them to share with your family how they came to know the Lord. If they are not Christian, then take them a plate of cookies and invite them to an activity at your church or just have them over to your home. Children of different nationalities may have some cultural differences, but they all love to play. Another possibility is inviting them to go to a nearby park or playfield for a picnic. Let your lives be an example of Christianity to them, rather than just giving them a tract to read.
If you don’t know any people of different nationalities, then get to know the people in your neighborhood who don’t obviously already attend church. You may be the only “Jesus” that they know—so be a good example for your children and your neighbors.
Lord – Help me to be faithful to You, to my family
and neighbors in the way that I live for You.
All
scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise
noted.
© 2013 by Mickey
M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
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