Thursday's Thought

Psalm 113:7

He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;

Good morning, family and friends!

If you follow my blog faithfully, you may recall that I wrote about word pictures from the Bible on Tuesday of this week. If you are just beginning to read, you can go back to Tuesday's Tidbit for a glimpse into this subject. Right after I published Tuesday's post, I was reading my Bible and the focus verse above just caught my attention. 

Just picture the mighty hand of God lifting a poor, helpless soul out of the dust, and gently wiping him off. But, ever more vivid is the picture of that same big hand of God gently lifting someone in dire need out of a dunghill. We all know that a dunghill, with its horrible filth and stench, can represent a pile of sin. What a great love is shown by God to pick up not just poor souls out of the dust, but to help the really messy ones by washing them all clean with His blood!

If we can picture the hand of God helping souls, and we are His body, are we doing the same for people? While only God can forgive sins, we can help raise the poor out of the dust, and help lift others out of the dunghills of life. If we will be honest with ourselves and with God (He already knows, anyway!) - sometimes we don't mind helping the dusty sinners but we shy away from the messy sinners, all because we are hesitant to get our hands dirty. But, God cares for both kinds of people!

Or, perhaps this verse can be used in relation to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Do we exhibit the spirit of Christ in how we handle those among us who find themselves in a dusty or messy situation? Are we ready to lend a helping hand when a fellow Christian has fallen? Are we aware of those around us at church who need our love, perhaps by way of a kind word, a hug, or a card? It is something to ponder, and I suppose you could say that while I am pondering this subject, I chose to share it with you for your consideration, too. 

The words of this children's song from my childhood are on my mind today. Perhaps you might have heard it at your church:

Chorus

We're gonna roll the old chariot up the hill

We're gonna roll the old chariot up the hill

We're gonna roll the old chariot up the hill

And we won't lag far behind

Verse One

If my brother's in the road, we will stop and pick him up

If my brother's in the road, we will stop and pick him up

If my brother's in the road, we will stop and pick him up

So he won't lag far behind

Verse Two

If my sister's in the road, we will stop and pick her up

If my sister's in the road, we will stop and pick her up

If my sister's in the road, we will stop and pick her up

So she won't lag far behind

Verse Three

But, if the devil's in the road, we will run right over him

If the devil's in the road, we will run right over him

If the devil's in the road, we will run right over him

So he will lag far behind

While this was just a childrens' song with cute hand motions (which I loved doing and watching), the message is deep. Every day someone we love is hurting, whether sinner or saint, and we need to do our part to lift them out of their dilemmas if we can.

Until tomorrow, when, Lord willing, we will meet again, I pray that we all think on these things but, after thinking, that we act upon them!