Obadiah
Revelation 9
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table.” —Luke 16:19-21
Serigne Mbayé was a fisherman in Senegal. He loved his country of origin, but European boats started to show up on the western shores of Senegal and fish in the waters. Every year, boats from the European Union would show up in the waters and take away half a million tons of fish. These fish were not to be eaten by people; they were actually used to feed their livestock when the number of fish could actually feed 33 million people in West Africa!
Since Mbayé could no longer earn a livelihood, he made the difficult and brave decision to cross the Mediterranean to get into Europe. When he arrived on the shores of Spain, he was not greeted with open arms but with a lot of adversity, racism and persecution. Yet, he persevered through it, established a good life and became a citizen of Spain. During the pandemic, he felt called into politics and became the first black member of the Assembly of Madrid. Even as a politician, Mbayé continued to be attacked by individuals calling for his deportation although he was a naturalized citizen. To the members of parliament, Mbayé once said, “Acts of discrimination are unacceptable. All peoples must be protected equally. We do not say, welcome only [certain] refugees. We say, welcome all refugees.”
At this point of the devotion, we may ask, “So what? This doesn’t concern me.” But, we cannot think that the refugee crisis is something happening “out there” when we have a crisis in the city of Toronto. We have people escaping real threats, seeking asylum in Canada, but they are living on the streets because our shelter system is full; in fact, it is spilling over. With the cold Canadian winter, some of these refugees actually die on the streets. If we are Christ followers, we must reflect the character of our Lord. From the very beginning, God has shown Himself to be the One who reaches out to the marginalized and uplifts the oppressed, and commands His people to go and do likewise. As Christians, are we welcoming the foreigner and loving the stranger?
The modern-day refugee reality plays out like the parable of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:19-31. Lazarus was a poor beggar who laid at the rich man’s gate looking for mercy but he was shown none. The rich man was complacent. God has poured out financial blessings and prosperity into many of our lives. Many of us are actually considered rich by the standards of the world; to simply hoard it to ourselves and be complacent towards the needs of others is an affront to the God who blesses us.
Lord God, forgive me for when I fail to reflect Your generosity toward others. Thank You for blessing me with so much. May I use what You have given me to bless others
Revelation 9
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table.” —Luke 16:19-21
Serigne Mbayé was a fisherman in Senegal. He loved his country of origin, but European boats started to show up on the western shores of Senegal and fish in the waters. Every year, boats from the European Union would show up in the waters and take away half a million tons of fish. These fish were not to be eaten by people; they were actually used to feed their livestock when the number of fish could actually feed 33 million people in West Africa!
Since Mbayé could no longer earn a livelihood, he made the difficult and brave decision to cross the Mediterranean to get into Europe. When he arrived on the shores of Spain, he was not greeted with open arms but with a lot of adversity, racism and persecution. Yet, he persevered through it, established a good life and became a citizen of Spain. During the pandemic, he felt called into politics and became the first black member of the Assembly of Madrid. Even as a politician, Mbayé continued to be attacked by individuals calling for his deportation although he was a naturalized citizen. To the members of parliament, Mbayé once said, “Acts of discrimination are unacceptable. All peoples must be protected equally. We do not say, welcome only [certain] refugees. We say, welcome all refugees.”
At this point of the devotion, we may ask, “So what? This doesn’t concern me.” But, we cannot think that the refugee crisis is something happening “out there” when we have a crisis in the city of Toronto. We have people escaping real threats, seeking asylum in Canada, but they are living on the streets because our shelter system is full; in fact, it is spilling over. With the cold Canadian winter, some of these refugees actually die on the streets. If we are Christ followers, we must reflect the character of our Lord. From the very beginning, God has shown Himself to be the One who reaches out to the marginalized and uplifts the oppressed, and commands His people to go and do likewise. As Christians, are we welcoming the foreigner and loving the stranger?
The modern-day refugee reality plays out like the parable of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:19-31. Lazarus was a poor beggar who laid at the rich man’s gate looking for mercy but he was shown none. The rich man was complacent. God has poured out financial blessings and prosperity into many of our lives. Many of us are actually considered rich by the standards of the world; to simply hoard it to ourselves and be complacent towards the needs of others is an affront to the God who blesses us.
Lord God, forgive me for when I fail to reflect Your generosity toward others. Thank You for blessing me with so much. May I use what You have given me to bless others