Most of us eat every day, some of us too much because yesterday's food
is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do some
of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manna, the word of God to keep
us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change all
of that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need to
live healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host,
author speaker Elle David Harris. Good morning, Good morning, Good morning.
It is Friday, November twenty four, twenty twenty three. Hello, my
name is El David Harris. I am your host, and this is your
Daily Portion where we give you God's word every single day and today is no
exception. We are continuing in our Lesson study series. God's mission, my
mission, and our caption for today is more love, more people, More
love, more people. Pardon that sound. We'll get into that in just
a moment, but first I'd like to say welcome to you and say happy
happy preparation day and ask you to go over to your Daily Portion dot com
join our online community. Also, let us know where you are in the
world and pick up the Your Daily Portion book. This is one way that
we continue to build faith and fellowship at your Daily Portion dot com. Let's
go ahead and pray, and then we will get underway. Father and Heaven,
thank you for giving us this new day and the privilege that you have
entrusted to us to serve you. Please teach us how to love you and
to do your will. I pray that you will fill us with your Holy
Spirit and have the spirit of Christ. Have the spirit of Christ, so
that we can seek and to save those who are not connected to you.
In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen and Amen again. More people,
more love. I'm going to begin our discussion today by reading from the Advent
Review and Sad with Harold from October fifteenth, eighteen ninety five. Wow,
that was a long time ago. Let's see if it's still applicable today.
And it reads men and women are not fulfilling the design of God when they
simply express affection for their own family circle, while they exclude those from their
love whom they could comfort and bless by relieving their necessities. Let's go ahead
and push a pause right here. Yes, so, I am an introvert
and many of you are also introverts. I'm not always like big and excited
about large crowds and gatherings and meeting new people. But of course God has
given me public gifts, and I'm whenever I go anywhere, wherever I happen
to be. It doesn't matter if I'm here in Jamaica or on the airplane
going somewhere else. And wherever I am, I run into people that have
seen me somewhere, whether it's on the Internet or on the TV, or
on some billboard somewhere who knows where Hurd on the radio. And it occurs
to me that our lives are not our own. There is a responsibility for
each of us. Whether your experience and my experience are identical, yes or
no. The fact is that we can't focus only on our own family circle.
I tend to want to do that because my family are familiar to me.
It takes less energy. I don't have to get to know as much
because we've been together for years. Right Ah, But God is saying that
if we are going to be his children, then we have to be loving
toward as many people as He gives us. The calling to be loving toward,
of course, and to relieve their suffering to whatever way we can provide
some of their needs. Now, he's not asking us to replat lace him
somehow or become saviors, but he is saying that if we focus solely on
the people in our own household, the people who we are closest to that
we are most comfortable with, we are selfish. And selfishness has no place
in the kingdom, right, it says, while they exclude, meaning the
people who embrace their family members in their own family circle, while they exclude
those from their love whom they could comfort and bless by relieving their necessities.
Continuing the quote, when the Lord bids us do good for others outside our
home, he does not mean that our affection for home shall become diminished and
that we shall love our kindred or our country less, because he desires us
to extend our sympathies. Right, but we are not to confine our affection
and empathy. That sounds so restrictive, confined those right, We're not to
do that. We're not to do that within our four walls and enclose the
blessing that God has given us, so that others will not be benefited with
us in its enjoyment. That's the end of the quote. Remember I said
more love, more people. Let that settle in. So Jesus had a
habit of making himself available so that people could get closer to God. Yes,
we read an inspiration from the book Desire of Ages that the account we
read in Mark chapter two of the man that was sick of the palsy.
We talked about him the other day, God that was born of four carried
to the place where Jesus was and then let down through the roof because there
were just so many people they couldn't get in through the door. Yes,
and then Jesus relieved his suffering by forgiving his sins and also healing his paralysis.
He did all of that. He did all of that. He made
himself available so that he could heal and save him. And that in twenty
twenty three, this day of November, that we could receive a blessing from
that, and not just a blessing, that we could be transformed by the
love that is exuding from this story. You see. So Jesus made sure
that he had compassion on the multitudes. It was in him to be compassionate
toward the multitudes. There were times that he fed people because he had compassion
on them. Yes, there were times that he healed blind eyes and broken
hearts because he had compassion on them. And let me just say this one
quickly, there were times that he corrected people because he had compassion on them.
He could not see people going the wrong direction in their lives and to
continue down the wrong pathway and then just let them do that, continue to
go down the wrong pathway to their destruction. God is saying that he loves
us so much. How much does he love us that he gave through Christ,
his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but all should have everlasting life who do not love him. And so he
wants to open the doors of love through us to other people. I think
the Bible says, freely, you have received whatever it is that God gave
us. He gave us reconciliation, he gave us wholeness. He gave us
a deliverance from a depression. He gave us deliverance from addictions to different kinds
of sin. God said, freely, ye have received. Now freely give
give of yourself to the people. Okay. And so in the scriptures that
are cited here in the Lesson Study Matthew chapter eight, verses twenty eight through
thirty four and Mark five, verses one through twenty We basically see that we
are to engage the Gospel with as many people as possible. Reflect on the
instances where Jesus engaged with people from their cultures. How can you model this
action in your life. I've had the privilege of growing up in New York
City and then also living in the nation's capital and it's environs, as we
say here in Jamaica right for decades. I did that as well. I
lived in DC, I lived in the DMB, as we call it affectionately,
in West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland, and I have live so I've
lived in places where a great cross section of people also lived. We call
it a melting pot, but sometimes it's more like a mixing pot. I
wish I had the time, But the bottom line is, just in those
two experiences, and now with a believer's mindset, I'm like, Lord,
what is it that we are to do? As the truth that is in
Christ comes into our lives. From that vantage point, we are to spread
His love into every nation, kindred tongue, tribe and people. We learn
about one another, and as we are learning about one another, we show
love and deference. As the Lord gives us strength, he gives redemption to
everyone who needs it as long as we yield our will to him. He
wants us to continue to expand our circle of love. Step out of our
comfort zones right, engage in cultural celebrations thoughtfully as God gives us strength with
the aught, with the purpose of more people to love to God by his
grace. A wonderful day, Peace. Thanks for joining us listening. Friends,
Always remember we cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that
comes from the mouth of God. This has been your daily portion with el
David Harris. Make it a great day. Yeah,