4 Ways to (Actually) Help a Sufferer
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“Often what a sufferer needs most—especially after tragedy—isn’t advice, input, or billboard Bible verses. It’s physical presence that affirms Christ’s presence.” - TGC
As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“Often what a sufferer needs most—especially after tragedy—isn’t advice, input, or billboard Bible verses. It’s physical presence that affirms Christ’s presence.” - TGC
“I recently lost a close friend to cancer. She was only 32, and during my own questions and wonderings, it reminded me that we live in a culture that avoids death….The apostles wrote about death with startling clarity. They called it an enemy, yes, but a defeated one. They spoke of groaning, longing, waiting, and resurrection hope.” - Baptist Press
“this is not a verse giving us a blueprint for modern nation states’ immigration policy. Piper didn’t say it was. This verse is not saying that nations don’t have a right to enforce their borders. Piper didn’t say that it was. This is a verse giving a general principle—God wants you to treat the outsider well—and giving Israel a specific reminder for why they should do that.” - P&D
“Many of us love to work, but we must also learn to demonstrate biblical love through our work. This is the second article in a series on applying the fruit of the Spirit in the workplace” - IFWE
“[T]he Scriptures record that ‘he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor?’ (Luke 10:29). No doubt, he was hoping for a small group of people he could count as neighbors and his obligations under the law would be few. But Jesus had a response that he did not expect.” - P&D
“What does it mean then to treat others as I would have them treat me? This command is not glib rhetoric, but is comprehensive instruction that Christ expects us to perform…. we must apply this standard to every relationship that we encounter, whether it be with the cashier at the grocery store or our best friend.” - P&D
“We must not miss this. The Bible directs followers of God to show warmth and kindness to the outsiders. Israel is to do this because they were strangers and because God cares for the outsider. In the New Testament, the church is to do this because the way we treat foreigners is the way we treat Jesus.” - P&D
“The influx of people from all over the world has happened in the last five years….What is your church like? Are you learning to love a wide variety of cultures and educational backgrounds? I hope so.” - Don Johnson
“God calls us to difficult things. He calls us not only to be part of a church but even to love the people of the church. We may find it easy enough to love a building or an institution or a particular form of worship. But people?” - Challies
Matthew 5:43-48 is one of the hardest passages in the bible. People usually know two things about Jesus—that he said not to judge, and that he loved people! This is the “he loved people” bit.
First, we have Jesus’ statement about a common idea floating around in culture at the time: “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy’” (Mt 5:43).
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