Decisions in Crisis

Devotion: Ruth 1:11-14

My wife has often remarked that I do not behave well in crisis. My usually sharp decision-making matrix breaks down and I start doing things that are not only rash, but out-of-character. I think it is the part of me that wants to make everything right and fix what is wrong that takes over and I stop doing proper analysis of the situation and counting the costs. While these are my personal hang-ups in crises, I do not think I am alone. I think that for many decision-making in a time of crisis or turmoil is difficult to do well and often leads to questionable results.
As we zoom in our devotional passage this week, it is worth remembering that we find three women (Naomi, Orpah and Ruth) who all now widowed in a culture where widowhood means becoming destitute. The situation is dire, the choices are desperate, and the decision-making is more emotional than rational.

"But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me.” Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. " -Ruth 1:11-14 ESV

Naomi has been so devastated by the present crisis that she has no ability to imagine redemption. It is as if she faces the present circumstance and says, "The Lord has cursed me and there is no hope." The only way forward for her daughter-in-laws, so far as she knows, is to bear sons and let them grow up and then marry the two. Naomi knows this a pipe dream and so dismisses the option as quickly as she suggests it. At this point, she succumbs completely to bitterness and let's all hope run out.
Bitterness kills the redemption imagination and the reliance upon faith that God will bring good out of even the most devastating of circumstances. In her grief, Naomi cannot see beyond the current crisis and this, for her, is actually sin. She loses faith in the Lord and even goes so far as to assert that the Lord has acted specifically against her through the death of her husband and her two sons. Far from trusting the Lord to provide redemption and renewal, Naomi lays her crisis at the Lord's feet and asserts her wretchedness as the direct action of the Lord. This is wrong, as the rest of the story will make clear, but at the same time, it is understandable in the moment of crisis to wonder about such things. In light of fires, earthquake and hurricanes in our news recently, we may even be tempted to assert that the Lord has brought judgment in these acts, yet such a view does not come from wisdom. Wisdom would lead us to conclude that crisis and disaster befall us no matter our standing before the Lord, so our part is to be sure we are ready to meet our God should the circumstance lead to our death--and the only way to be ready is to put faith in Christ Jesus, the one who defeated sin, death and Satan, the one who makes all things new, and the one who redeems his own.
Crisis decision-making is never easy. When the decision-making is handed over by Naomi to Ruth and Orpah they will choose different paths. We will look at Ruth's path throughout the rest of this series, but at this point it is Orpah we need to put in view. Orpah chooses to return to her mother's house and, God-willing, take a new husband. While we can contrast Orpah's decision to leave Naomi with Ruth's decision to stay with Naomi and, therefore, pass judgment on Orpah for making the wrong decision, the Scripture makes no such claim or conclusion. Orpah chooses to return home and this is her response to the crisis. She is not necessarily wrong in making that choice anymore than Ruth is not necessarily wrong for NOT making that choice. She responds as best she can with the available information to the crisis at hand. I am uncomfortable with saying that she showed a lack of faith in the Lord, but certainly Ruth's more famous response seems to invite that thought.
Instead, gentle reader, let us take a sympathetic view of Orpah. She has just been told by her beloved mother-in-law to go home to her mother's house. She has been assured that staying will only produce more misery and condemn her to a lifetime of widowhood and the destitution that brings. Faced with the available information, she decides it best to do as Naomi says. This is not sin for Orpah, but rather a woman trying to do the best she can in a very tough spot. No, if there is sin in the passage it is in Naomi's bitterness and her lack of faith that the Lord will make a way where there seems to be no way. We never go wrong when we fall on the mercy of the Lord in faith, even, and perhaps especially, when in crisis.

News for You:

Fair Outreach Report:

We gave out over 800 bottles of water, talked with dozens of people in our community and enjoyed making our Savior's presence known. Thanks to all who helped. Our next big outreach event will be our annual Trunk-or-Treat. Start planning now for serving our community by providing a fun, festive and safe experience for parents and kids on October 31.

Adam's Road Ministry Event, September 14, 7 p.m.

The musical group Adam's Road  will be at CPC soon. This group will be sharing the gospel in both testimony and music and should not be missed. Again, come out and bring some friends. The event is free (though a love offering will be taken) and everyone attending gets a free CD. 

Small Groups to Launch the week of September 24

Our Fall Small Groups will be concentrating on, "Your Church Experiencing God Together," the follow-up to last Fall's "Experiencing God." Sign ups will begin shortly, do not miss out!

Weeping Together

Devotion: Ruth 1:8-10

The Apostle Paul instructed the Romans in 12:15 to, "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep." Knowing the difference is important. In times of mourning, it is inappropriate to rejoice. Imagine attending a funeral and someone suggests doing the wave or letting the kids have a go at a pinata. Death is a cause for weeping. It is the consequence of sin and even for the Christian it is a time for sadness at the loss of one we love--even if for the deceased it is entry into Heaven awaiting the great day of resurrection. Jesus wept at the death of Lazarus (John 11:35) and this seems the right thing for the Christian to do with others in the face of death. I have been to one too many "Celebrations of Life," where it was unclear to me that anyone actually died. We try to move past the weeping and mourning so quickly that we do not really stop to deal with the real and devastating consequences of death. It is just these consequences that Naomi, Orpah and Ruth face in our passage today.

"But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, 'Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The LORD grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!' Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. And they said to her, 'No, we will return with you to your people.' " -Ruth 1:8-10 ESV

Without father, son or husband these women are destitute. Naomi's plan to return to her homeland is her last chance at securing her well-being. She asks her daughter-in-laws to return to their mothers because they have no future with her. The death of Elimelech, Mahlon and Chilion has brought real and devastating consequences for all of the women, but Naomi will feel the sting the most acutely of the three. Naomi tries to send off Orpah and Ruth so that they may find a new husband and perhaps the rest and relief that was absent in the present situation.
Naomi wants to bear the burden of death by herself and in some ways we can see this as noble, but in others it is foolish. The trouble with failing to acknowledge and note a death with mourning and weeping is that those who will bear the consequence will have to do so alone. I remember some years back as I met with a grieving widow she stopped me as I was about to leave. The widow thanked me for saying her husband's name since no one else seemed to do so. I have often thought about that as I considered why that may be. The best answer I have is that we are afraid of death and speaking the name of dead person makes it real. We want widows and widowers, orphans and the bereaved to bear their pain and sorrow silently and nobly and, therefore, deliver us from the scary acknowledgment that life is fragile and death is always on the horizon.
Thankfully, both Orpah and Ruth linger with Naomi. She needs them to weep with her and mourn with her. We need others to weep with us in times of death and loss as well. We cannot ignore or hide the bereaved for any reason. We are clearly called in Scripture to come alongside those who weep and offer the comfort of presence, but also the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ who conquered sin, death and Satan once and for all in his own death and resurrection. So weep with those who weep because the reality of death is it is sad. We can remember and give thanks for those who die, but do not confuse mourning and rejoicing, lest you forget that our fervent prayer is that God will wipe the tears from our eyes and turn our mourning into dancing.

News for You:

CPC at the Okanogan County Fair, September 7 – Sept 10

This year CPC will have a booth at the Okanogan County Fair.  This is an opportunity for our church family to be a sign of God’s Love, a source of Joy and a beacon of Hope to those who do not yet know Jesus.  We will have a brief training for volunteers following worship on September 3.

Adam's Road Ministry Event, September 14, 7 p.m.

The musical group Adam's Road  will be at CPC soon. This group will be sharing the gospel in both testimony and music and should not be missed. Again, come out and bring some friends. The event is free (though a love offering will be taken) and everyone attending gets a free CD. 

Small Groups to Launch the week of September 17

Our Fall Small Groups will be concentrating on, "Your Church Experiencing God Together," the follow-up to last Fall's "Experiencing God." Sign ups will begin shortly, do not miss out!

Turning to Home

Devotion: Ruth 1:6-7

There are times when we must make decisions to change. After the tragedy of death visited Naomi for her husband and both of her sons she sits at the place of decision. Her choice is to continue to live in Moab as a widow without family support and with two, presumably, young daughter-in-laws who will now depend on her as the matriarch of their now greatly diminished family.

"Then [Naomi] arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the LORD had visited his people and given them food. So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah." -Ruth 1:6-7 ESV

The Lord had caused the famine in the land, though the reason for doing so is not given. Yet, the mercy of the Lord always bends him back to His people. The famine is lifted and there is bread once more in Bethlehem, the 'house of bread.' When Naomi hears this, she makes the decision to head for home. There she will have the family support she will need to continue to live, though she will be living with the pain of loss.
The turn for home will mean a certain defeat for Naomi. She must abandon her new identity as a refugee in Moab and return to what she once was. Repentance is like this for the Christian--the one who trusts in the saving grace of Jesus Christ already. We wander away from our home with God and become a refugee in the foreign land of the world. Eventually, sin and death batter us around long enough that we make a turn for home. The Parable of the Prodigals contains this same idea (and interesting enough, it is a famine that finally convinces the younger son to return to the father). We abandon our home in the grace of Christ and the call to faithful obedience to God's revealed will and wander away and make our home in the land of sin. We tell ourselves that we are happier, better, smarter in this new home. We tell ourselves that we should have done this a long time ago. Yet, as so often happens, the new home in sin turns on us. Things are actually miserable, worse and silly. And then we wonder if we can go home.
Naomi hears their is bread again at home and this tells her, in God's gracious, providential way, that she can make a change and turn for home. The announcement of the Gospel to the wayward Christian is much the same. Come home and find that God has been waiting for you.

News for You:

CPC at the Okanogan County Fair, September 7 – Sept 10

This year CPC will have a booth at the Okanogan County Fair.  This is an opportunity for our church family to be a sign of God’s Love, a source of Joy and a beacon of Hope to those who do not yet know Jesus.  We will have a brief training for volunteers following worship on September 3.

Adam's Road Ministry Event, September 14, 7 p.m.

The musical group Adam's Road  will be at CPC soon. This group will be sharing the gospel in both testimony and music and should not be missed. Again, come out and bring some friends. The event is free (though a love offering will be taken) and everyone attending gets a free CD. 

Small Groups to Launch the week of September 17

Our Fall Small Groups will be concentrating on, "Your Church Experiencing God Together," the follow-up to last Fall's "Experiencing God." Sign ups will begin shortly, do not miss out!

One People under One King

Devotion: Ruth 1:3-5

In our passage this week the focus shifts to Naomi and her daughter-in-laws. We learn that the family stayed in Moab for quite some time, indeed, long enough for Elimelech and both his sons, Mahlon and Chilion to die.

"But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband." -Ruth 1:3-5 ESV

The time in Moab was at least ten years. The famine in Bethlehem we learn later had been lifted, but we are left to speculate at what point. Surely within that span of ten years, but exactly when is lost to history. What we see, then, is a family who fled to Moab as refugees and decided to make their home there. We should note that the Moabites welcomed these foreigners and the family felt at home enough to take Moabite wives for their sons.
In light of recent events concerning the rearing of the ugly head of white supremacy and anti-immigrant populism, this little passage of Ruth should stand out to us as a different way. The Scripture teaches us that in the end, the hope of Israel was to be a light to the Gentiles (Isaiah 49:6, but also Luke 2:32). Indeed, in the hope of glory we are to see that the old dividing lines that have kept us separate are falling away until we truly are one new nation (see Galatians 3:23-29, but also 1 Peter 2:9-10), a single people under a single King, King Jesus the Redeemer!
So in this little tragic story, we see a little glimpse of this glorious future. Ruth and Orpah join Elimelech's family through marriage. The people of God take in the foreign women even as the foreign people offered refuge to the people of God. Old hatreds and even deep animosities are left aside in favor of living in peace with one another.
As the Church, we are to seek to live at peace with others. We receive into the Church all those who claim King Jesus the Redeemer as their Lord and Savior. This is the only criteria for entry into the Church--race, nationality, language, gender are of no consequence. To be sure, Ruth and Orpah will each display their character and allegiance in the next few verses. At this point in the story, however, they are received as brides of the sons of Elimelech. In the Church we welcome all who come as the bride of Christ Jesus and count them as part of our family. This mean we too may have to set aside old hatreds, prejudices and animosities, but for the sake of the glory of our Lord who will be praised by every tongue and nation it is more than worth the price. The world has enough wickedness, the Church must not add to it.
And so we leave the family in tragedy and mourning. We explore next week just how they each cope with the grief. Now, however, let's take these lessons with us for the week:

1. The Church is made up of all who call on Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and this is the only criteria for membership.
2. We are to be a welcoming people, bringing in all who would come close to Jesus to his family.
3. The vision of Scripture is to create a single people under King Jesus. It is only loyalty to our sovereign that marks as belonging and all other ways we separate ourselves from each other must be laid to rest.

News for You:

Men's Shootout, Sunday August 20 1-4 p.m.

The men of the church are invited out for an afternoon at the range (Riverside Sportman's Club). Come for some fellowship and bring a friend.

CPC at the Okanogan County Fair, September 7 – Sept 10

This year CPC will have a booth at the Okanogan County Fair.  This is an opportunity for our church family to be a sign of God’s Love, a source of Joy and a beacon of Hope to those who do not yet know Jesus.  Two volunteers (or a family) are needed for each 4 hour shift.  There will be a signup sheet in the Fellowship Hall after Worship.  Be sure to include your T-shirt size on the signup sheet.  More details to come.

Adam's Road Ministry Event, September 14, 7 p.m.

The musical group Adam's Road  will be at CPC soon. This group will be sharing the gospel in both testimony and music and should not be missed. Again, come out and bring some friends. The event is free (though a love offering will be taken) and everyone attending gets a free CD.

No Bread in the House of Bread

Devotion: Ruth 1:1-2

This week we begin a new series in the book of Ruth. One of two books in the Bible to be named for women, the book of Ruth follows the story of a family and focuses on the life of two women, namely, Naomi and Ruth. This week we are going to begin by meeting Naomi and her family.

"In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there." -Ruth 1:1-2 ESV

Elimelech was from Bethlehem a name that means, 'House of Bread,' in Hebrew. So the story of this family begins with a bitter irony. There is no bread in the house of bread. We are further told that this story takes place during the time of the judges and from data later in the book we can determine that it happened closer to that end of those days (a period of over 200 years). Three points can be drawn from these two pieces of information. First, the famine that hit Elimelech and his family led them to flee to a foreign land (Moab). This move is reminiscent of Jacob and his sons fleeing to Egypt during an earlier famine (see Genesis 43-46). We will learn next week that fleeing to a foreign land can often bring tragedy--but in the case of Ruth we will see throughout the book, it can also bring joy and relief. Moab is a curious choice for the family as they are among the most hated of Israel's enemies at the time (perhaps second to the Philistines), but given Bethlehem's location, it would have been the closest land to flee to for the family.
Second, we need to notice that the famine did not impact a close neighbor of Israel. For whatever reason, the famine only impacted Israel. From the Scriptures we know that Israel was dependent on rain for its agriculture (see Deuteronomy 11:10-17) and a lack of rain (the likely root cause of famine, but locusts are also possible) would signify that Israel had broken faith her God. The family's flight to the foreign land also shows that this particular family found it easier to depend on a foreign nation rather than seek the Lord through repentance. This pattern will be repeated in national Israel under various kings and would eventually lead to the downfall of both northern and southern kingdoms. When in trouble, we go looking for someone to help or perhaps somewhere to escape. The alternative, though difficult, is to continue in the difficult circumstance seeking the Lord's guidance, help and relief. This is not the course of Elimelech's family and tragedy will soon follow.
Third and finally, again like Jacob and his family, Elimelech's family settles down in the foreign land. We do not know for how long, but the text strongly implies that they made a new home in the foreign land rather than a brief stint as refugees who returned to the land God had given them once the famine was over. It is this final piece that puts everything that follows into perspective.
So what do we take away from all this. Again, three points:

1. In times of need, we need to return to the Lord. The Lord is the one who gave the rains and caused the crops to grow and led to the people having bread. If there is not bread in the house of bread, go back to the source. We should not be surprised that some of our difficulties and troubles are caused by sin. When we have a rift in our relationship with God it can lead us into pain and suffering. To be sure, following God can do the same thing. The whole point is that pain, sorrow and suffering need to drive again and again into the arms of our loving Savior. If we flee God, the intent is lost.
2. Be careful of relying on the wrong kind of help. To be sure, there was bread in Moab, but is that the bread Elimelech and his family needed? When we find our own solutions rather than turning to the Lord in prayer for Him to guide us we can find resolution, but it rarely is satisfying for long and can often lead to unintended consequences. Grace can make even those unintended consequences work together for the glory of God and our good, but how much more if we seek the Lord's will first.
3. Pray for refugees around the world. People who are necessarily displaced from their homes and must flee famine, persecution and/or war should have our deep compassion. Elimelech fled famine and for that he is worthy of compassion. The disconnect was settling down in Moab and not returning when the famine was over. Even Jesus' family fled the wrath of Herod for a time, but they returned to Israel when Herod died (see Matthew 2:13-15). We need to support refugees in their time of need, but also support them returning home (making that possible is a good prayer to the Lord) when the time is right.

We will meet up with the family next week.

News for You:

Men's Shootout, Sunday August 20 1-4 p.m.

The men of the church are invited out for an afternoon at the range (Riverside Sportman's Club). Come for some fellowship and bring a friend.

CPC at the Okanogan County Fair, September 7 – Sept 10

This year CPC will have a booth at the Okanogan County Fair.  This is an opportunity for our church family to be a sign of God’s Love, a source of Joy and a beacon of Hope to those who do not yet know Jesus.  Two volunteers (or a family) are needed for each 4 hour shift.  There will be a signup sheet in the Fellowship Hall after Worship Service this morning.  Be sure to include your T-shirt size on the signup sheet.  More details to come.

Adam's Road Ministry Event, September 14, 7 p.m.

The musical group Adam's Road  will be at CPC soon. This group will be sharing the gospel in both testimony and music and should not be missed. Again, come out and bring some friends. The event is free (though a love offering will be taken) and everyone attending gets a free CD.

In the End, Grace

Devotion: Philippians 4:21-23

At last gentle reader we come to the end of our time in Philippians. One of the shortest letters of the New Testament took us just shy of a year to work through. If you have been following the blog weekly, I pray and hope that as we conclude you have been blessed by God's Word. Next week I will begin time in the Old Testament book of Ruth. For now, let's turn attention to the conclusion of this letter.

"Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit."-Philippians 4:21-23 ESV

 In the Apostle Paul's day letters typically ended with greetings to/from others and a blessing. The letter to the Philippians has both of these features.
The greetings can be quite lengthy (as they are in Romans) or quite short (as they are here). The greetings fall into three parts. First, Paul greets every saint in Christ Jesus in Philippi. A saint here means one who is being made holy. A saint is one who has been saved by the grace of Christ that the Holy Spirit has set apart for God. The Apostle wants every saint--not merely the movers and the shakers, but them too--to receive his personal greetings. This is a humble act for the Apostle and both an uplifting and humbling act for the church in Philippi.
Second, the Apostle passes along the greetings of those who are with him. This is likely the brothers who have been supporting him during his imprisonment. The third greeting comes from all the saints in Rome, but especially those who are in the household of Caesar. What the Apostle is likely saying is that some of those most closely associated with Caesar (soldiers or slaves) have come to saving faith in Christ Jesus and now add their voice to the greeting. Perhaps even some of the Apostle's own jailers have heard the Gospel and come to believe. At any rate, the Apostle says hi for those who to want to say hi. These greetings show the interconnection of the Church. Though separated by time and space, we are really one in Christ. And so in a few short lines the Apostle revisits two of the letters main themes (humility and unity) before turning to the major Christological theme of the letter.
The Apostle's blessing is for the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to be with their spirit. To call Jesus 'Lord' is not merely a theological designation (that is, Christ is YHWH), but also a political statement. To call Jesus, "Lord," is to assert that Caesar is not. This is a very bold statement for a man awaiting a hearing before Caesar. Yet it puts into perspective our own understanding of the supremacy of Christ over worldly politics. In the end, it is Christ who will be glorified, not earthly political powers. Yet, we should note, that Christ can employ these earthly powers for his own purposes. The Apostle humbly waits to see what that purpose will be (life or death, you may recall) and be strengthened by the unity of the saints in grace of Christ. In the end, it is Christ's grace that unites us all in one spirit and that should lead us to humility and graciousness. I pray that you will be so filled with Christ's grace that you too are led to follow our humble Lord.

God's Supply

Editors Note: I am glad to be with you this week after being away for the last two. I spent the week of 6/18 at our General Assembly praying and seeking the Lord's will for the EPC, our denomination. Last week I spent time with 57 youth from here in Omak and around the state at our annual Camp Chelan. Frankly, gentle reader, I am glad to be home writing to you this week. Yet, I should also note next week (the week of 7/9) I will be away again on a short family vacation.

Devotion: Philippians 4:18-20

The Apostle Paul understood the financial support he received from the Philippians via Epaphroditus to be an offering to God and, though it benefited the Apostle, completely for God's glory. As we have traced our way through this letter over the last several months, these ideas should be familiar.

"I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. " -Philippians 4:18-20 ESV

In the end, the Apostle is claiming that God provides. After all, the Apostle can now count among the mighty acts of God in history his own reception of funds crucial to his ongoing survival. Paul realizes that even if the Lord had not provided, he would still give glory to God, just like the three young men about to be tossed into the furnace (see Daniel 3:16-18). Like those three young men, the Apostle had seen Christ with him in his most trying time (in his case, the Christ came in the form of the Philippians generosity). The Apostle sees that God has worked to provide for him through the Philippians and, in the end, this is Christ at work.
Now it may seem that the Apostle then shifts in tone in the following verse. Torn out of context we could mistakenly conclude that Paul is promising the Philippians a reciprocal blessing, giving credence to the heretical prosperity gospel. Yet, this is not the Apostle's point. Paul is giving witness to 'God's provision and in giving witness he is assuring the Philippians that God will also provide for their needs--needs not wants--out his great riches in glory in Christ Jesus. What we need most is relationship with this God, a relationship that is alive, maturing and growing. The Philippians had demonstrated by their generosity that just such a relationship existed and the Apostle is now assuring them that God will provide more of Himself in that relationship to meet the growing need.
And that is how every relationship with God is shaped. As we grow in our relationship with God we come to realize just how dependent we are on God and in realizing this dependence, we already have the provision of the infinite God to meet our growing sense of dependence. God is always more than we could need, yet we need infinitely more of him as we grow in faith.
The Apostle concludes, appropriately enough, with a doxology. We sometimes can read these prayers of praise and not really fit the prayer into the wider context. Here, in this doxology the Apostle is assuring the Philippians that they share the same God and Father, and this one is to receive all the glory. The same God who came to the Apostle's aid through the Philippians is the very same God who can met the Philippians' need through the proclamation of the Gospel by the Apostle Paul. Indeed, a God who can weave together people who can supply the needs of each other is to be glorified forever.
When I return in a week we will conclude our time in Philippians. In the meantime, think how God has supplied for your need and how God, through you, has supplied the needs of others.