DAY 21

Sitting in my seat on a plane recently, I picked up one of those “shop in the sky” magazines that are filled with every useless gadget known to man. I began to read about the precision portion pet feeder, a programmable feeder that automatically provides exact food portions so that your pets can follow their recommended diet while you are away at work. And I thought, "thousands of children starved to death today—how is it that we can allow ourselves to be more concerned that the pets of the world get their precise portions?"

Not only did I come across the easy-mount cat door that allows your pet to enter and exit the house unassisted, but also the pet staircase that helps small pets climb up to furniture they could not otherwise reach. I must admit, I laughed out loud as I pictured a miniature hotdog climbing the staircase so that he wouldn’t strain his back trying to hop up on the couch. But when I contrasted that picture with the fact that millions of people throughout the world had no home at all in which to sleep that night...well, the doggie staircase suddenly didn’t seem like such a great necessity.

There is nothing wrong with having and loving a pet—that’s not at all the point I’m trying to make. But how have we as a society come to a place where we have the resources to research, invent, produce, and market such luxuries for our pets and not enough resources to keep human beings alive throughout the world? Again, it’s not bad to pamper those we love and to enjoy the little things in life, but if we have forgotten about our fellow man while doing so, we have lost sight of our purpose for being here.

Every single person must be valued and given dignity, because God purposefully gave His Son as a ransom for that person! Let’s make sure we are valuing people in the same way that God does: greeting the overwhelmed mom (the one with three kids in tow!) at the supermarket; extending a hand to help the elderly; looking for people we can bless with our love, our words, and our finances. Let’s keep our hearts and eyes open to the lost, the hurting and the needy around us and be ready to offer them our generosity!

Selah

• Is there a particular “type” of person you find difficult to value? Why do you think this is so? How can you learn to show compassion for that person?

• Do you pray on a regular basis for your city, your country or for the lost throughout the world? If not, take some time right now to intercede for them.

• Read Romans 5:6-8. What do these verses reveal to us about the kind of people God loves?