Exeter Seventh-day Adventist Church

God uses people to meet needs. It's in the Bible, II Kings 6:6-7, TLB. "Where did it fall?" the prophet asked. The youth showed him the place, and Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water; and the axhead rose to the surface and floated! 'Grab it,’ Elisha said to him; and he did."

We should be willing to meet the needs of others. It's in the Bible, Matthew 23:11-12, TLB. "The more lowly your service to others, the greater you are. To be the greatest, be a servant. But those who think themselves great shall be disappointed and humbled; and those who humble themselves shall be exalted."

Realize that meeting the needs of others is serving God. It's in the Bible, Matthew 25:40, TLB. "And I, the King, will tell them, 'When you did it to these my brothers you were doing it to Me!"

We should open our eyes to the resources close at hand, God may have provided to meet our needs. It's in the Bible, Ruth 2:2-3, TLB. "One day Ruth said to Naomi, 'Perhaps I can go out into the fields of some kind man to glean the free grain behind his reapers.' And Naomi said, 'All right, dear daughter. Go ahead.' So she did. And as it happened, the field where she found herself belonged to Boaz, this relative of Naomi's husband."

We should recognize our dependence upon God for every need. It's in the Bible, Psalm 104:27-28, TLB. "Every one of these depends on You to give them daily food. You supply it, and they gather it. You open wide Your hand to feed them and they are satisfied with all Your bountiful provision."

Even our physical needs are important to Jesus. It's in the Bible, Mark 8:1-3, TLB. "One day about this time as another great crowd gathered, the people ran out of food again. Jesus called his disciples to discuss the situation. 'I pity these people,' He said, ‘for they have been here three days, and have nothing left to eat. And if I send them home without feeding them, they will faint along the road! For some of them have come a long distance."