Further Thought: “ ‘When the Son of man shall come in His glory,
and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His
glory: and before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate
them one from another.’ Thus Christ on the Mount of Olives pictured to
His disciples the scene of the great judgment day. And He represented
its decision as turning upon one point. When the nations are gathered
before Him, there will be but two classes, and their eternal destiny will
be determined by what they have done or have neglected to do for Him
in the person of the poor and the suffering.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire
of Ages, p. 637.
“As you open your door to Christ’s needy and suffering ones, you are
welcoming unseen angels. You invite the companionship of heavenly
beings. They bring a sacred atmosphere of joy and peace. They come with
praises upon their lips, and an answering strain is heard in heaven. Every
deed of mercy makes music there. The Father from His throne numbers
the unselfish workers among His most precious treasures.”— The Desire
of Ages, p. 639.
Discussion Questions:
Ê “ ‘For the poor will never cease from the land’ ” (Deut. 15:11,
NKJV). Besides the fact that this prediction, though thousands of
years old, unfortunately has been fulfilled, how are we to under-
stand it today? Some have used these words to all but justify not
helping the poor, reasoning this way, “Well, God said the poor
would always be among us; so, that’s just the way it is.” What’s the
fallacy of that thinking?
Ë Read 1 Timothy 6:17–19: “Command those who are rich in
this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches
but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let
them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give,
willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for
the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” (NKJV).
Notice what the danger is: to trust in one’s riches as opposed to the
living God. Why is that so easy for those who have money to do,
even though they know that in the end even all their money won’t
keep them alive? Why must we all be careful about not trusting in
anything other than the living God?
