WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
JANUARY 27, 2022
TOPIC: HOW DO YOU TREAT OTHERS?
BY T. O. BANSO
âThen the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Meââ (Matthew 25:34-36 New King James Version).
God is interested in how you treat those who cross your paths in life or the people you have relationships with. They could be strangers, visitors, the hurting, the poor and needy, your employees, clients, customers, litigants, etc. Do you maltreat, exploit, abuse, or misuse them? Do you tear them apart or build them up? Do you make them or destroy them? Leaders, how do you treat those you’re leading, your followers or subordinates?
Abraham warmly welcomed and entertained three angels, and within a year he experienced the fulfilment of a long-standing promise â the birth of Isaac (Genesis 18:1-15; 21:1-7). Hebrews 13:2 says, âDo not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angelsâ (New King James Version).
In Luke 10:30-37, only the Good Samaritan did the right thing by acting as a good neighbour to the man attacked by bandits and left in a pool of his blood. The Priest and the Levite â religious people â who had seen this man in a helpless condition, did not help him. They passed by him on the other side without lending a helping hand. The New Living Translation says he was a Jewish man (verse 30).
Even though the Jews and the Samaritans didn’t have a good relationship, the Good Samaritan did for this man what his Jewish brothers did not do. He gave him first aid treatment, carried him to the hospital for treatment, and the next day paid the bill. He promised that if the bill ran higher, he would pay the difference the next time he came there.
In Matthew 25:31-46, the Bible talks about how the Son of man would judge the nations, judging both the sheep (the righteous) and the goats (the unrighteous). âThen the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Meââ (verses 34-36 New King James Version).
In contrast, verses 41-43 say, âThen He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Meââ (New King James Version).
Did you see the comparison? Did you notice the difference between the judgment that would be passed on the sheep and the goats? The sheep would be commended and rewarded for feeding the King when He was hungry, for giving Him drink when He was thirsty, for inviting Him into their homes when He was a stranger, for giving Him clothing when He was naked, for caring for Him when He was sick and for visiting Him when He was in prison. But they would be surprised when they actually did all this.
Similarly, the goats would be surprised to hear that they did not treat the King well. When? It wasnât the King in person that was treated well or wasn’t treated well, but fellow human beings in need or disadvantaged. But the goats or the unrighteous didnât realize that. Ordinarily, they would have accorded the King due regard and treated him well, but they didn’t know that whatever they did for fellow human beings, they also did for the King. They did not treat Him well, but the sheep (the righteous) did.
We serve God when we serve people. If you refuse to help others, when you are able to do so, you refuse to help God! When you mistreat others, it affects God. God is concerned about how you treat others. Jesus summarized the Ten Commandments thus: love God and love fellow human beings (Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12:29-31).
Hear this warning in 1 John 4:20-21: âIf someone says, âI love God,â and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother alsoâ (New King James Version).
The love the Bible is talking about here does not say, âIf you love me, I will love youâ or âI will love you as long as you do what pleases me.â It is agape love â unconditional love. This is love that is mainly of the will, not of the emotions. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:8). Also, verse 16b says God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
The natural man cannot walk in agape love. It is only possible with the help of the Holy Spirit. Why? âLove suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all thingsâ (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 New King James Version).
How do you treat those you have dealings with? Do you treat them with love or hatred? The LORD commanded the Israelites, âYou shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows and your children fatherlessâ (Exodus 22:21-24 New King James Version).
He gave a similar command to them in Leviticus 19:33-36. âAnd if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your Godâ (verses 33-34 New King James Version).
The LORD continued in verses 35-36: âYou shall do no injustice in judgment, in measurement of length, weight, or volume. You shall have honest scales, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egyptâ (New King James Version).
Donât mistreat people because of the advantage you seek to gain. They may be weak, powerless, ignorant, vulnerable, or disadvantaged, but the Lord is watching how you treat them. Treat well your family members, congregation, customers, clients, workers, or students. Don’t take advantage of strangers, widows, orphans, or the poor and needy. Don’t abuse your power or office.
Political leaders, take good care of your people; don’t exploit, oppress, or repress them. You can’t mock the justice of God; whatever you sow, you will reap (Galatians 6:7). You will surely get the reward you deserve.
In the LORDâs message to Judahâs kings through the prophet Jeremiah, He told them: âExecute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you indeed do this thing, then shall enter the gates of this house, riding on horses and in chariots, accompanied by servants and people, kings who sit on the throne of Davidâ (Jeremiah 22:3-4 New King James Version).
God is watching how youâre treating others. He is the Judge. He will judge between one sheep and another and between rams and goats (Ezekiel 34:17, 22). He will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep (verse 20). That’s talking about human beings, not animals. As you want others to do to you, do likewise to them (Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31).
Jeremiah 17:9 says, âThe heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?â (New King James Version). Because we live in a fallen world and the heart is desperately wicked, some people will abuse your kindness but don’t let that discourage you. God will reward you. Nevertheless, ensure that you act within the law that governs society so that you can be legally protected in all you do. Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16). Also, do not neglect the leading of the Holy Spirit as you relate to people.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life â your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Holy Spirit, help me to treat everyone with love. Let me not mistreat, maltreat, exploit, or abuse anyone. Help me to build up people and not tear them down and to encourage people and not discourage them. Father, save me from wrong attitudes that can make me mistreat and send away those You have sent to bless me in life.
(For over 800 in-depth and powerful messages by T.O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
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