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Friday, November 19, 2010

Praying for the Poor!

This morning in my prayer time, I was meditating on a new blog I could share and turned to my Proverb passage for the day. I , along with my other Bible reading, try to read one chapter from Proverbs a day, much wisdom to be gleaned from that book and today was the 19th chapter. I began soaking in the wise words from this passage and noted that the word, poor, showed up 5 times. I, particularly, was captured by verse 17: "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD: and that which he hath given will He pay him again."

I thought of the excellent time, here at the beginning of the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, that it would be to explore what the Instruction Manual of Life, our Bible, would exhort us to do concerning this subject of the poor. Before I get into the essential message that I hope we understand today, let me quickly say that I am not a proponent of the social gospel message that we hear extolled today. I saw a book in a Christian bookstore the other day by one of the leading voices in this culture who has said that Jesus certainly taught socialism and I wondered why that book would be on the shelves. (I started to hide it but thought better.)  I read that Jesus said that the poor would always be with us  and nowhere is the "spread the wealth around" philosophy taught in the Bible. In this chapter of Proverbs, the subject of laziness and idleness is addressed and many are on welfare because they won't work, emphasis on "won't" and not "can't", which is another story and one I hope to tell today.

I don't believe that our hard-earned assets are to be seized and given to others who prefer the "give to me" life. Remember, in Acts 5 when Ananias and his wife were severely punished for lying about their contribution as the other disciples were bringing their offerings?  Peter basically asked him- "Why did you lie, Ananias?While it remained unsold, it was yours to do what you wanted and after you sold it, it was still in your power to give it or keep it." No one was being forced but were of their own will giving of their possessions.  Now, with that negative aspect out of the way, what are we taught, as children of God through faith in Jesus Christ,  to do? Glad you asked! :)   John addressed it this way in chapter 3:17 of 1 John: "But whoso hath this worlds good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" James puts it like this: "If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled: notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?" chapter 2.  I note the words, brothers and sisters in these passages and no doubt, we are to look for opportunities in the community of faith and in our local assemblies to serve those who are going through tough times and many are today who have never walked that path before. Because of this rocky economy we are facing right now, there are husbands and daddies who have lost jobs and are concerned about keeping shelter for and providing food for their families. Grace Presbyterian Church here in our city is providing free meals and medical help for struggling families right now. Praise God!

It is Christmas time and maybe we , who can, need to buy a turkey or ham or find out what kind of doll that little girl would like to have or the bike the little boy wants and doesn't understand why there might not be anything this year. "Wow, Deborah, you are pulling my heart strings."  I hope so because we should be filled with compassion for those who are trying very hard but are barely getting by.  Last year, it was such a blessing to let Alicia and Landon place a new toy, one for a girl and one for a boy, in the Toys for Tots bin at Publix, along with the explanation that some kids won't get anything this year unless someone helps.  Isn't it difficult, Brother and Sister, to pass by that red kettle with the ringing bell of the Salvation Army as we go into the stores to try to figure out what to get the person who has everything? When I place my dollars, usually, as I go in and out, I picture a smiling face on Christmas morning, don't you?  Now, I certainly don't recommend indiscriminate giving but when we know of the worthiness and integrity of the cause, we should help if we can. Last week, in the local grocery story, preboxed meals were sitting at the counter ready to be carried over to a place called Ric-Rac, owned, I think, by a local church. Yes, Danny, (one of the most giving men I have ever known) purchased them and some child and we hear that many are in poverty in our county, will be enjoying some mac n cheese, along with some other staples.  Praise God!

I am always reminded as I awake to a roof over my head, the central heat running, and food in the kitchen that there are others who don't have that today. I am also cognizant of the fact that it could be us wondering how we will make the next house payment. Let me add something on a sidebar here: Giving doesn't save us- I heard one of my favorite TV commentators the other night say that he gives much to charity because he is trying to get into heaven. I pray for him because he has been taught that since he was a little boy but giving doesn't gain our way into heaven but it is an evidence, dear Brother and Sister, that we do have God's love shed abroad in our hearts. Heaven is wrought for us because of His giving, Christ Jesus becoming poor for us, His grace and mercy toward undeserving sinners- that is how we get to Heaven. He is the Giver- we simply receive!

Now, I entitled this blog "Praying for the Poor" and I do. I pray that man can find the job to secure the essentials that his family needs to live but my gist of the blog is that there is more that we can do. If we just observe and tell them to be filled and be warm and we will be praying, then we are not accomplishing much, are we?  Now, you know what you can do, I know what I can do, some of us are not as able this year as we have been before but I am comforted by the verse in Acts 11 which says that the disciples, after hearing of a famine, "determined everyone ACCORDING TO THEIR ABILITY to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea." There is that word, brethren, again.  I am so glad that I am in the family of God. I am blessed immeasureably by it and will look today for an opportunity to be a blessing to others. Our Lord said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."  How many of us have not experienced the truth of that statement? Praise His Name!!

Looking to be a blessing, Deborah

1 comment:

  1. Excellent, MaMa. May each of us ask God to show us who we might help this year. make sure it is someone who can't help us in return!

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