I recently read a story about a man who was a waiter at a restaurant who one night complained about the limited tips he received for the day. On his way home that cold night, he passed a homeless lady who appeared to be cold as she lay on the street next to a building. The gentleman thought it inhumane to pass the woman by who appeared to be cold. He stopped and stooped down to ask the lady if he could help her in any way. Her only response was, “Please give me your socks.” The man quickly took off his socks and placed them on her feet. As others passed on the street, they commended the man for such a wonderful act of love. The waiter felt horrible that he had been complaining about his poor tips for the day, while a poor woman only asked for his dirty and stinky socks.

The apostle Paul instructs the church to teach: “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching.” Romans 12: 6-7

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:2-3)

Ecclesiastes 11:4-6. It says, “If a person waits for perfect weather, he will never plant his seeds. And if he is afraid that every cloud will bring rain, he will never harvest his crops. You do not know where the wind will blow. And you don’t know how a baby grows in its mother’s body. In the same way, God made all things. But you can’t understand what He is doing. Begin planting early in the morning, and don’t stop working until evening. This is because you do not know which things you do will succeed. It is even possible that everything you do will succeed.”

1 John 2: 3 says, “Our obedience is actually part of our assurance that we truly know God for ourselves.”

“The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil. And I say to you, that every careless word that men speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:35-36).

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

We are living in a time when Spiritual blindness has wreaked havoc throughout the land. The cause of Spiritual blindness in Scripture: “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4)

“If someone says, “I love God; and hates his brother, he is a liar, for if he 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.” 1 John 4:20-21

Matthew 25: 44-45 reads, “They also will answer, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you? He will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

When we reflect on slavery, our minds most always go back to the exodus experience in the book of Exodus 3:7,9: “Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings.”

The psalmist in Psalm 73:26 says, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

“He will be paid back at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:12-15}

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for you are with me; Your rod and Your staff comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)

Matthew 12:35-36, “Good people bring good things out of their hearts, but evil people bring evil things out of their hearts. I promise you that on the day of judgment, everyone will have to account for every careless word they have spoken.”

“A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight.” Proverbs 11:1

1 Timothy 4:1 tells us, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”