Loving the Poor
Jesus said, “We will always have poor people with us.” He cared for Physical and Spiritual Needs. Certainly, woven and tucked away in and around those needs are emotional and mental emptiness as well.
The “poor” does not have a certain color or ethnicity. I have been all over the world to experience it. All you and I have to do is look around. They may be your relatives, your family, a close friend or the subject may even be you.
It can be overwhelming to see how much need is around us, when we open our eyes to look with compassion. However, we can so easily become hard-hearted and jaded because of the previous misuse of our giving or negative experiences. No matter what our history, the Lord has commanded us to care for the poor.
There are many instances where people would rather beg for your financial efforts than work. Certainly, these people exist. Similarly, there are those who are just without, or very low on food and money. They also exist. Circumstances will often dictate the outcome for many people.
Many are just a lost or low-paying job away from being, hungry, without heat, electricity, water or flat-out, homeless. That was the case for me and my family growing up. As I aged, I could tell something was wrong, but when I became a high school student, I could definitely add two and 2 together. Hiding the brokenness and hunger was an artform.
Poverty, homelessness, hunger, dehydration, abandonment, and mental health are just a few of the challenges linked to someone facing unmet needs. To be poor is to be in need. This is a person (or people) who are ‘surviving’ on less than necessary to live.
Poverty is not a new issue. It is, however, a sin issue. Poverty has been around since sin entered the world.
We as believers are instructed to care for those in need, but what does that really look like? What does GOD say about caring for the poor?
God’s will is never for someone to be in poverty, but it is a result of sin in the world. In Genesis 1-3, Adam and Eve had everything that they needed in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 2:16-17 we read that Adam was free to eat from any tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. There was freedom within the boundary set from the Creator. The food and care provided for Adam and Eve was free. They were perfectly provided for by God.
When Adam and Eve sinned, the Lord could have just left them to fend for themselves and figure it out. However, He was so gracious and kind. Instead, He sacrificed an animal and provided clothing as Adam went to work the ground - Genesis 3:21. This verse indicates that the Lord cared for their basic needs on their way out. The animal sacrifice was spiritual care on behalf of their sins and the physical covering of clothing for them.
God exemplifies this care both in the beginning and when He came to earth. In Mark 14:7 Jesus says, “The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want, but you will not always have Me.”
It has been my experience, people who are down and aout in their lives, are almost never airing their dirty laundry, nor are they willing to to ask for help. If you ask to assist, at some point, they will allow you to help, because they know they require it. The needy and poor will look for ways to make money and feed the family.
The “beggar?” That is a different story altogether.
Since we do have the poor and struggling among us, how will you and I be willing and able to help?
We will always have an opportunity to help.