Needy
Good Morning,
As our government leaders allow evil to radically dismember our nation, I find more and more poor people and more people struggling to find jobs, or jobs decent enough to care for the needs of their families.
God says much about the poor:
Deuteronomy 15:11 “For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.”
Matthew 26:11 “For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.”
Our Lord says that since there will ALWAYS be poor people, then we are to open our hands to them. That is about as simple and clear as we can get.
We need to be reminded that the Lord directs circumstances, and at times, He has a plan and purpose for poverty as well as wealth. Of course, we all want to be a part of the WORK of being wealthy, but most are not. Many of the poor people are exactly where God wants them in His will. Do not look down on them; do not scorn them as though by our own goodness and wisdom we are more successful.
1 Samuel 2:7 “The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.”
Job 30:25 “Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? was not my soul grieved for the poor?”
According to God, Job was a man who was perfect and even wept over the poor. How do we feel when we see poor people?
God then directs us to defend the poor, not malign them.
Psalm 82:3 “Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.”
Proverbs 14:21 “He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.”
Notice the lessons God presents about the poor:
Proverbs 19:17 “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.”
Proverbs 28:27 “He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.”
Considering these verses and the love God has for the poor, I am grateful for our bus ministry and for the big days when we can reach out to needy families.
As I see people on the street, I wonder if there is not a reason to pray for a rescue mission or a place to feed and preach to those in need. I think of the mess in which we find our schools, morally and educationally, and I pray for God to provide a way for us to educate our young people who ride our buses.
Study the Bible verses on the poor and build your thinking around biblical principles regarding the needy. Let us be sure that our church never loses its love for the needy of our community. We cannot fix their problem, but we can love them, help them, and be sure to introduce them to a Saviour Who can fix their troubles for eternity.
Pastor