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CloseRyan Sim - December 19, 2013
Thursday - Act On It - The Night That Changed the Poor
Why does it matter if God uses the poor? Why does it matter to us, if we’re not poor by the world’s standards, if this is a night that changes the poor? We may not be nomadic shepherds sleeping with the sheep in a field, but this still matters to us. We are in spiritual poverty. It’s different from material poverty, but very important to recognize. A sign is offered to us, from the poorest among us to the wealthiest, and it’s a poor baby in a manger. This comes to us direct from God, though his heavenly messengers. God helps us see our own poverty – spiritual and material – by his standards rather than our own. When we see our own spiritual poverty compared to Jesus, we realize we need to get up and get to this baby, get to Jesus’ bedside just like those shepherds. A spiritually or materially wealthier group may not have bothered – they may have considered themselves just fine – but the poor are those God started with because they are those who know they need outside help. When we have enough, we can’t hunger for food. It’s the same with God – if we consider ourselves spiritually rich and self-reliant, we won’t bother with reliance on God. This is why, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor, or poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” In the Christmas story, all of humanity sees its poverty, its spiritual poverty, compared to this divine baby. We realize we are unable to get back to relationship with God, and yet he comes to us anyway. We realize we can’t buy our way out of this debt to God (called sin), so someone else bailed us out and paid it off. In the Christmas story, God helps us see our own poverty – spiritual and material. In so doing, we realize the world’s standards are empty – we are all poor compared to God’s standards, and all need him equally. This can motivate us to extend to others, who we now recognize as spiritually poor themselves, the same generosity God has shown to us. Challenge: Give to the spiritually and materially poor in your life! Toy drive, food bank, direct to a friend. Tell them why – because God has been generous and loving to you. Reminder: We are reading the Bible in sync as one community - so check out today's reading here.
Related Topics: Christmas, Poor, Poverty, Shepherds | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio
From Series: "The Night that Changed Everything"
In preparation for Christmas, our Daily Challenges are going to explore the lifechanging significance of Jesus' birth so long ago. It's more than a sentimental story, or a time for generosity, Christmas celebrates The Night that Changed Everything. We'll explore the original Christmas story from the Bible, and its impact on five kinds of people.
More Messages From Ryan Sim...
Jesus Is...Alive - Thursday | March 31, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Alive - Wednesday | March 30, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Alive - Tuesday | March 29, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Alive - Monday | March 28, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Crucified - Thursday | March 24, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Crucified - Wednesday | March 23, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Crucified - Tuesday | March 22, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Crucified - Monday | March 21, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Forgiving - Thursday | March 17, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Forgiving - Wednesday | March 16, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Forgiving - Tuesday | March 15, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Forgiving - Monday | March 14, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Love - Thursday | March 10, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Love - Wednesday | March 9, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Love - Tuesday | March 8, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Love - Monday | March 7, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Worth Following - Thursday | March 3, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Worth Following - Wednesday | March 2, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Worth Following - Tuesday | March 1, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Worth Following - Monday | February 29, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Transfigured - Thursday | February 25, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Transfigured - Wednesday | February 24, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Transfigured - Tuesday | February 23, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Transfigured - Monday | February 22, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Rejected - Thursday | February 18, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Rejected - Wednesday | February 17, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Rejected - Tuesday | February 16, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Rejected - Monday | February 15, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is.... Teacher - Thursday | February 11, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... Teacher- Wednesday | February 10, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... Teacher - Monday | February 9, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... Teacher - Monday | February 8, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... Help - Thursday | February 4, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... Help - Wednesday | February 3, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Worth Following - Wednesday | February 3, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... Help - Tuesday | February 2, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... Help - Monday | February 1, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... Perfect - Thursday | January 28, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... Perfect - Wednesday | January 27, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... Perfect - Tuesday | January 26, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is.. Perfect - Monday | January 25, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... God - Thursday | January 21, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... God - Wednesday | January 20, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... God - Tuesday | January 19, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus is... God - Monday | January 18, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Human - Thursday | January 14, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Human - Wednesday | January 13, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Human - Tuesday | January 12, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus Is...Human - Monday | January 11, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Epiphany: New Learnings for the Wise - Friday | January 8, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Epiphany: New Learnings for the Wise - Thursday | January 7, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Epiphany: New Learnings for the Wise - Wednesday | January 6, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Epiphany: New Learnings for the Wise - Tuesday | January 5, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Epiphany: New Learnings for the Wise - Monday | January 4, 2016 | Watch | Listen | ||
Best of 2015 - God Is...Holy - Thursday | December 31, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
Best of 2015 - God Is...Encouraging - Wednesday | December 30, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
Best of 2015 - EPIC: Noah - Tuesday | December 29, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
Best of 2015 - EPIC: Adam and Eve - Monday | December 28, 2015 | Extra | Watch | Listen | |
God Is...Here - Thursday | December 24, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Here - Wednesday | December 23, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Here - Tuesday | December 22, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Here - Monday | December 21, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Coming - Thursday | December 17, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Coming - Wednesday | December 16, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Coming - Tuesday | December 15, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Coming - Monday | December 14, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Faithful - Thursday | December 10, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Faithful - Wednesday | December 9, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Faithful - Tuesday | December 8, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Faithful - Monday | December 7, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Good - Thursday | December 3, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Good - Wednesday | December 2, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Good - Tuesday | December 1, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Good - Monday | November 30, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Powerful - Thursday | November 26, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Powerful - Wednesday | November 25, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Powerful - Tuesday | November 24, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Powerful - Monday | November 23, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Transformative - Thursday | November 20, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Transformative - Wednesday | November 18, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Transformative - Tuesday | November 17, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Transformative - Monday | November 16, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Encouraging - Thursday | November 12, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Encouraging - Tuesday | November 10, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Encouraging - Monday | November 9, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Speaking - Thursday | November 5, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Speaking - Wednesday | November 4, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Speaking - Tuesday | November 3, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Speaking - Monday | November 2, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Unfailing - Thursday | October 29, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Unfailing - Wednesday | October 28, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Unfailing - Tuesday | October 27, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Unfailing - Monday | October 26, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Worthy - Thursday | October 22, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Worthy - Wednesday | October 21, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Worthy - Tuesday | October 20, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Worthy - Monday | October 19, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...One - Thursday | October 15, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...One - Tuesday | October 14, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...One - Wednesday | October 14, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...One - Monday | October 12, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Holy - Friday | October 9, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Holy - Wednesday | October 7, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Holy - Tuesday | October 6, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Holy - Monday | October 5, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Patient - Friday | October 2, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Patient - Thursday | October 1, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Patient - Wednesday | September 30, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Patient - Tuesday | September 29, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Patient - Monday | September 28, 2015 | Waterworks | Watch | Listen | |
God Is...Saviour - Friday | September 25, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Saviour - Thursday | September 24, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Saviour - Wednesday | September 23, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Saviour - Tuesday | September 22, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Saviour - Monday | September 21, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
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God Is...Generous - Thursday | September 17, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Generous - Wednesday | September 16, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Generous - Tuesday | September 15, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
God Is...Generous - Monday | September 14, 2015 | Watch | Listen |