Ep 82: No Buts About It

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Well, good morning and welcome
to the show.

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I'm Daniel Dalp and this is for
your Sunday morning drive, the

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short podcast with the goal of
providing some motivation, Dr.

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and encouragement on your way to
worship and helping you recenter

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your mind on those spiritual
things on hectic Sunday

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mornings.
I did want to make a brief

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announcement before we get
started today.

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We have a new website.
You can still find it in the

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same place over at for your
Sunday morning dr.com, but it's

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been revamped and it has some
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feedback, or just say hi.
I can't wait to hear from you.

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Of of course, it goes without
saying that I try my best to

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continue to make the show better
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possible without your support.
To those that have helped me

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along the way and to those
that'll help me in the future, I

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want to offer a sincere thank
you for making that happen.

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Well, let's go ahead and get the
show on the road today.

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This is episode 82.
No buts about it.

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Let's go to church.
Are we there yet?

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Have you ever been on the
receiving end of tremendous

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generosity?
Maybe it was a time in your life

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where you lost your job and your
family was in hardship.

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Maybe you were a family member,
was in the hospital or sick and

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needed a bill covered.
Or maybe it was when your child

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was first born and you and your
spouse needed help in those

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early days and a brother or
sister or congregation stocked

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your fridge and freezer full of
meals.

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You know, I've experienced some
of these over the years.

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And the church stepped up and
did what the church is supposed

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to do sacrificially, love its
own.

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And I've seen them do the same
for the stranger.

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And it's such a blessing to be
able to do that for others.

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And as someone who has both sat
in many a Pew and stood behind

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many a pulpit over the years,
I've observed something.

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We pray for those opportunities
to help.

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We might say, Lord, please be
with the poor, with the needy,

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with the sick, and the less
fortunate men.

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We also preach on the importance
of showing compassion and love

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to those who are in need.
We might remind the congregation

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about what Jesus says in Matthew
25 concerning helping others.

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And the assembled might even
give a hearty Amen.

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Yes, on a surface level, of
course we want to help those who

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are in need.
And we know that we need to help

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the hungry and the poor, and we
earnestly pray for the

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opportunity to do so.
And of course, we're sincerely

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thankful when others come to our
aid in times of hardship.

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However, when the rubber meets
the road and our metal is truly

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tested and we as an individual
or a congregation are presented

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with an opportunity to help
someone.

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Occasionally in creeps a three
letter word that can crush the

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best of intentions and render
promises empty.

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But it's such a small word, but
I've seen it wielded in such a

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horrible way recently.
You see, caveat can ruin service

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and but is usually the tool that
we employ sometimes with without

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even thinking about it.
We say things, think things and

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unfortunately post things like
well, I hate that that family is

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going hungry, but shouldn't they
just get a job?

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Or we might say, well that's a
shame that those kids might be

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suffering because of this, but
that's just how it goes.

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Or that's really too bad that
they are going through such hard

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times.
I'll pray for them, but it's not

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my problem.
And it goes on and on and on,

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but after, but excuse after
excuse and caveat after caveat,

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to the point where it makes me
wonder if we really mean it when

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we pray, when we preach, and
when we ask for opportunities to

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help others, Shouldn't we be
putting our money where our

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mouth is?
Shouldn't we take the needs of

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the needy with the utmost
sincerity and seriousness?

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God certainly does and
apparently always has as Moses

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lays out instructions for how
Israel should live as God's

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people in the Promised Land in
Deuteronomy 15 starting in verse

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7, he says if anyone is poor
among your fellow Israelite in

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any of the towns of the land the
Lord your God is giving to you,

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do not be hard hearted or tight
fisted towards them.

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Rather be open handed and freely
lend them whatever they need.

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Notice no buts.
Jesus certainly does.

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Look at the length he went to
impress the following on the

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rich young ruler in Mark chapter
10 verse 20.

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Teacher, I have kept all of
these things from my youth up

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and looking at him, Jesus felt a
love for him and said to him,

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one thing you still lack, go and
sell all of your possessions and

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give to the poor, and you will
have treasure in heaven, and

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come follow me again.
No buts.

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And the 1st century Christians
also took this seriously and

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took care of their own.
Acts chapter 434 and 35 For

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there was not a needy person
among them, for all who were

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owners of land or houses would
sell them and bring the proceeds

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of of the sails and lay them at
the apostles feet, and they

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would be distributed to each as
any had need.

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Again, notice no buts.
You see, God doesn't hand down

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his command to be compassionate
and caring with a list of

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caveats based on our feelings or
our judgments.

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If we see people hurting,
especially now and in the days

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ahead, be compassionate.
Yeah, in Word, but also indeed,

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think about those times that you
were helped by others to God's

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glory.
Jesus said in Matthew 7 verse 12

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what we commonly call the Golden
rule in everything.

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Therefore, treat people the same
way you want them to treat you.

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Christian, I can't emphasize
this enough.

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The world is watching both what
we do and what we don't.

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But more than that, God sees it
too.

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And the question is, is he
pleased with us?

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Here's my plea.
Stop qualifying who is deserving

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of compassion and who isn't
based on our own SKU good set of

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criteria.
Instead, be thankful that when

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you were down and out, you were
shown mercy by a good God.

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And realize that when it comes
to compassion, it isn't enough

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just to feel it.
It must be shown through action

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and there's no buts about it.
Well, those are my thoughts for

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your Sunday morning drive.
Now it's time to hear yours.

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Our discussion questions for
this week are who can you help

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this week that might be in need?
How does our attitude towards

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helping others bring glory to
God?

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And are we more interested in
finding reasons not to help then

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we are meeting the needs of
others.