Deuteronomy 22:4; NASB
You shall not see your countryman’s donkey or his ox fallen down on the road, and avoid them; you shall certainly help him raise them up. In 1968 Louis Armstrong recorded an enduring song that has touched the lives of many over generations: “What A Wonderful World.” (If you’re like me, you hear Louis singing it in his raspy, one of a kind voice…. “I see trees of green, red roses too, I see them bloom for me and you, and I think to myself, ‘What a wonderful world.’”) Right. It’s such a great song. It whisks you away to some fairytale land where everything is perfect, people love one another, and you can eat whatever you want and not gain a single pound (ok, maybe that last part is just my fairytale land). I love the charge Moses gives to Israel before they enter the Promised Land. Remember all the laws, all the 10 commandments. Make sure you live in a way to honor God. If you do, all will go well with you. But, if you live like the people who were before you, whom God is kicking out of the land, then you too will suffer the same consequences. And in the midst of all that, we get this really cool glimpse into what it means to live in a way that pleases the Lord: If you see your countryman’s ox or donkey fallen down in the road, stop what you are doing, and help them get the animal up. In other words, whatever task you have, whatever you are doing, no matter how important it may seem, it becomes a distant second when you see your countryman in need. Wow!. I mean, wow! I can’t even imagine what that would be like, Maybe you are like me, where I have felt guilty driving by someone on the freeway that is broken down on the side of the road. “I’m going too fast, I wouldn’t be able to stop and help in time.” “What could I do, I’m not a mechanic! They are better off waiting for Triple A.” “Oh man, I just don’t have time right now, I have to get to such and such a place.” In a perfect world, in a wonderful world, we would stop in our tracks the minute we saw someone in need and we would do whatever we can to help them along their way. The other day I went on a hike in the mountains. I hadn’t hiked in two years, and the group leader chose a hike about 16 miles long. To be fair, and honest, I had no intention of going the distance on this hike. It had been too long and I hadn’t done the proper training. “But,” I thought, “I am going to try and go five miles up then turn around, so I will hike a total of 10 miles. That would be a victory for me.” So I set out. I’m going to be honest….it was rough. I was out of breath, my legs hurt, my ankle hurt, I had slightly strained my hamstring a couple days earlier….wah, wah, wah……complain, complain, complain. So I got to a point (ok, let’s be honest and reword that as “I struggled”) that was five miles. I sat down and pondered my life choices, and why I would ever choose something so crazy in my life (Hint: because my wife likes to push me to do better). As I sat down, catching my breath, three ladies came running down the trail. Yes, running. As in, they ran up the trail and now they are running down. Nothing like watching people run up and down a trail (and it doesn’t matter if they are men or women) that you struggle on. So the woman in front says “Good morning!” And I respond likewise. And then a couple more running steps she is looking intently at me, still running, but ready to stop as she asks, “Are you ok?” What a wonderful moment and world that was. She was ready to stop her exercise and run, to make sure I was ok and could make it down the mountain. In this instance, I apparently was the ox that fell over in the road that needed to be put back on its feet. I loved the heart of that woman and the whole group in that moment. Ready to stop on a moments notice to make sure an absolute stranger was ok. I don’t know anything about their faith in life, or whether they believe in God or not, but I can tell you this…they were living out Deuteronomy 22:4. And it was refreshing to see. It was a glimpse of what I think heaven would be like. Heaven truly is going to be a wonderful world. I can’t wait to get there and see Jesus and the place He has prepared for us. But until that time, He has given me….He has given us a mission: When you see your neighbor in need, stop what you are doing and help them out. That is our priority. That is showing the love of God. In a world that seems to be getting more and more filled with hate and anger and division, people need to see God’s love in action. They need to see a wonderful world. They need to see others love and care for them. The world is full of opportunities. What are you waiting for? It can truly be a wonderful world when we put God’s love into action. -Pastor Brian
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