You've Done It Unto Me

SCRIPTURE

Acts 8:18-24 (NRSV)

God's gifts cannot be purchased

Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, "Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God's gift with money! You have no part or share in this, for your heart is not right before God. Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and the chains of wickedness." Simon answered, "Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may happen to me."


DEVOTION

Like most of you I am mourning the devastating loss of life that occurred in Haiti as a result of an earthquake on January 12, 2010. As I have been watching the news and listening to public radio I have been crying out to God, begging for mercy, help, and aid.

As Christians, when we see a need such as this, it is our obligation to offer prayer and support as we are able. We do not send money to charitable organization in an effort to buy the favor of the Holy Spirit. Rather, we are compelled to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, house the homeless, and/or visit the sick or imprisoned because Jesus has said, "When you do it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me."

WOW! I don't know about you, but it astounds me that I am able to do anything at all for JESUS.

I am so proud and pleased that I can be of service to the Kingdom of Love! After all, God gave Jesus to die on the cross to save me from my sin and gift me with eternal life. Additionally, every single day that I am alive, I live in the light of the resurrection experiencing the love, joy, peace, and abundant blessings from the hand of God.

God has been so good to me--to us! So kind! So generous! How could we ever fail to model that generosity in our interactions with others?

When we see a brother or sister in need, it is our privilege and our honor to serve them to the best of our ability! God has granted us the gifts of time, talent, and treasure to build up The Church on earth, until Jesus comes again from heaven.

I love servant evangelism! As we serve others in the Name of Jesus, we share the good news that Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ shall come again!

Walk in the Light of Epiphany my friends! As we share out of our God-given abundance, let us trust that everyone will have all that they need.


Let us pray:

Holy One, thank you that we can never buy your Holy Spirit! Please help us to never try! We know that we could never pay you back for all the good and wonderful things you have done for us. But, out of our glad and grateful hearts, please help us to share our resources of time, talent, and treasure with our brothers and sisters in need--near and far. Please especially use us in the days to come to offer our aid to the people of Haiti. We know that they are your beloved children, created in your image and likeness; please help us to be good news in their lives today! In Jesus' Name, Amen.


CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS ACTIVE IN HAITI (click or call to donate)*

American Red Cross, 800-733-2767

Catholic Relief Services, 800-736-3467

Doctors Without Borders, 888-392-0392

Lutheran World Relief, 800-597-5972

The Salvation Army , 800-725-2769

UNICEF, 800-367-5437

World Vision, 888-511-6548

*Note: This is by no means an exhaustive list. Please feel free to donate to your aid organization of choice!