Speaker 1: 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.
Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning, Good morning, it is Sabbath. It
is March fifteen, twenty twenty five. 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. This is Lesson number twelve,
God's Love and Justice, and our caption for today is
Love and Justice, the Greatest Commandments. But we're going to
talk about love and justice and also the two Greatest Commandments.
You're like, what, Okay, Yeah, we'll get into that over
the next couple of days. But before we get into
it today, I'd like to say, welcome to you and
ask you to go over to your Daily Portion dot com.
Please join our online community this Sabbath morning, and also
let us know where you are in in the world.
Are where you are in the world at your Daily
Portion dot com. This is one of the ways that
we continue to build faith and fellowship. Let's go ahead
and pray, and then we will get underway. Father and Heaven.
Thank you for this day. Thank you for the sabbath
time where we can come aside and rest a while,
where we can be connected with you fully, to be
able to be called by your name and hear your
voice and not have to hear all of the madness
of the world in the meantime. Please fill us with
your spirit. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen and Amen again. Okay,
so let's go ahead and begin with the Bible Book
of First John, first John, chapter four, and I will
read verse twenty Verse John, chapter four, and I will
read verse twenty. And the Bible reads, if someone says,
I love God quote I love God and hates his
brother or sister, hates his brother or sister, he is
a liar. For he who does not love his brothers
and sisters whom he has seen. How can he love
God whom he hath not seen? How do we love
the people that God has placed in our path? Of course,
the Bible does say Jesus said, they will know you
by your fruits. Yes, But the Bible also says the
fruit of this spirit is love, and then we have
some outgrowths of that love. Correct, very good. But yeah,
how is love? Is love seen? How will they know
that you are my disciples? Jesus said, if you have
love one for another, you see there are so many people.
There are so many people on the planet who try
not to connect to God's people. I said, they deliberately
try not to connect with God's people anymore because of
what they call church hurt. Church hurt. One preacher said,
the problem with God's people is God's people. So what
if we actually did believe God? What if what if
we actually did receive that great and second commandment, which
is like unto the first, that we would actually love
our neighbor as ourselves. What if that was the reality
before we would start evangelistic series. What if that were
the reality before we help the lame, the main, the blind,
the halt, and all of those who need from us.
Those widows, those who are fatherless motherless. What if we learned,
through the power of the Holy Ghost, that new commandment
that I have for you, which is to love one another.
What if we actually embrace the covenant that God has
given to us. H Well, of course, let me read
from the lesson writer, and then we can get some
truth right out of the scriptures. Though we have confidence
that God will make all things right in the end,
it still matters what we as believers do in the
here and now right, so we don't want to just
look forward to the end and that be it. Don't
be so quote heavenly minded that we are no earthly good.
Let me keep reading. Though there may be many injustices,
of course there are, and evils, of course there are
that God will not now eradicate due to the parameters
of the cosmic conflict. This doesn't mean that we can't
be used to help alleviate whatever suffering and evil we
come across, or at least do to whatever degree possible.
That means get active, y'all when we see things that
need to be relieved, suffering that needs to be relieved
in our communities, in our also communities of faith, like
we are to take up the mantle of God and
do what we can through God's method, through Christ's method alone.
Let me keep going. As we have seen love and
justice go together. They are inseparable God's love. God loves justice. Accordingly,
if we love God, we will also love justice. Quite frankly,
justice and judgment in the scriptures almost all of the time,
not one hundred percent, but very close to one hundred
percent of the time, actually just means righteousness. Yes, we
do have the process of judgment, but what is the basis?
It's based on righteousness, the law of God, the character
of God. Let me continue likewise, Likewise, if we love God,
we will love one another. Part of loving one another
is sharing a concern for the well being of those
around us. When others are afflicted by poverty, oppression, or
any kind of injustice, we should be concerned when others
are oppressed. We should not turn a blind eye. Oh,
what is the action? Instead, we should ask ourselves what
we can do. That's a big word, d oh. Do
not just think, not just conceptualized, not just pray about,
but actually do get active individually and corporately to advance
God's love and justice in a way that reflects to
our broken world, our Lord's perfect character of righteousness and
love all the crooks of the matter is we represent God,
We represent Jesus Christ. How would he do if he
were on planet Earth. I think Jesus actually gave us
the blueprint when he was on planet Earth. Now let's
go with seven seven biblical principles. I don't think I'll
get through all of them with the time that we have,
but we'll do our best. Seven biblical principles about addressing
suffering and injustice. Number one, act with God's love. First,
John chapter three, verses seventeen and eighteen. Whoso hath this
world's good and see if his brother have need and
shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him? How dwelleth
the love of God in him? Him? Oh, my little children,
let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but
indeed and in truth. Bible also says in michaeh Chapter
six and verse five, that he has told you, oh man,
what is good and what the Lord really wants from you,
what he requires. He wants you to promote justice, promote justice,
to be faithful, and to live obediently and humbly before
God number three, Defend the oppressed. In Isaiah chapter one
and verse seventeen, the Bible reads, learn to do well,
seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for
the widow. Let me read it in another translation for clarity,
learn to do that which is right exclamation point. Promote justice,
exclamation point, give oppress, give the oppressed reason to celebrate.
Take up the cause of the orphan exclamation point. Defend
the rights of the widow. And of course we can
go on and on and on and on and on. Finally,
let me just read finally, reflect God's character. In Matthew
chapter five and verse sixteen, the Bible reads, let your
light so shine before men that when they see your
good works, they will glorify. They will glorify and honor
your Father, which is in heaven. Oh. I can't wait
to continue love and justice, the two greatest commandments. Peace.
Speaker 1: 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,