Listen First

[Christ4Ever]

But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food. Acts 6:1 NLT

The Greek-speaking widows were among the most powerless members of the early church. They depended on charity in a foreign land and culture and were unsure about what would become of them after their husbands passed. How would the church respond to them in their time of crisis?

You may think you know why people are poor, destitute, or struggling. You may think you have the perfect solution to make everything better for them. But do you really listen to what they have to say about their situations, about what they really need?

Just as the apostles listened to these overlooked women and found a solution that honored their God-given dignity and met their needs in concrete ways, your ability to help others is largely based on how well you listen. You can only help as much as you understand and engage with those who are in need or suffering. Only then can you offer a solution.

Prayer: Jesus, help me to see You in the faces of those who are suffering, and give me ears to listen.

 

[complete]

'Hereby perceive we the love of God,
because He laid down His life for us:
and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
But whoso hath this world's good,
and seeth his brother have need,
and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him,
how dwelleth the love of God in him?
My little children,
let us not love in word,
neither in tongue;
but in deed and in truth.'
(1 John 3:16-18)