Don't Forget About the Poor
A couple years ago when I was in New York City shopping with my sister, a young man in his 20s stopped me on the sidewalk and asked me for a handout. He was wearing a new pair of designer sneakers, new-looking baggy jeans, a nicely pressed white T-shirt and a broad but suspicious smile.
He moved closer to me and asked: "Miss, can I have a few dollars? I'm hungry and homeless, and I need some money." After checking out his precision haircut and all the gear he was wearing, it was easy for me to politely tell him no.
In this case, it was easy for me to ignore a person in need. After all, this young man wasn't poor—he was a con artist.
In fact, people who try to take advantage of our generosity have approached many of us. Street peddlers or crack addicts who trick people out of money so they can buy drugs or liquor make it difficult for those people who are truly destitute.
Because we don't want to decide who's really poor and who isn't, we tend to look the other way. It's easier to just ignore them.
But God doesn't ignore the poor. He's watching the church during this election season to see if we will speak for those who are too ashamed and cannot speak for themselves.
Proverbs 19:17 says: "He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given" (NKJV).
Let's not get caught up in all the hype of a divisive presidential campaign. Instead, let's hold the Republicans and Democrats, John McCain and Barack Obama accountable to the issues that matter to God. Remember, He will repay us.
He moved closer to me and asked: "Miss, can I have a few dollars? I'm hungry and homeless, and I need some money." After checking out his precision haircut and all the gear he was wearing, it was easy for me to politely tell him no.
In this case, it was easy for me to ignore a person in need. After all, this young man wasn't poor—he was a con artist.
In fact, people who try to take advantage of our generosity have approached many of us. Street peddlers or crack addicts who trick people out of money so they can buy drugs or liquor make it difficult for those people who are truly destitute.
Because we don't want to decide who's really poor and who isn't, we tend to look the other way. It's easier to just ignore them.
But God doesn't ignore the poor. He's watching the church during this election season to see if we will speak for those who are too ashamed and cannot speak for themselves.
Proverbs 19:17 says: "He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given" (NKJV).
Let's not get caught up in all the hype of a divisive presidential campaign. Instead, let's hold the Republicans and Democrats, John McCain and Barack Obama accountable to the issues that matter to God. Remember, He will repay us.
posted by Strang Webmaster at
11:59 PM
2 Comments:
Great point Valerie, thank you for this post. You are right, we must never forget the poor, nor turn away someone in need.
I remember watching and hearing others harshly criticize my father when I was a young boy for impulsively taking cash out of his pockets and running up to the homeless on the streets of New York City. He'd even back up traffic and disregard the screams of car horns as he was, I believe, genuinely moved by compassion, regardless of what that person used the money for.
Now, all these years later, I love honoring him for that, and for always teaching us that we don't know what kind of road someone else has had to walk.
Steven
This is a great post -- and I have struggled with this myself -- when I see someone standing there with a sign -- what do I do? What caused them to turn to that way of life? The Lord gave me a solution -- water bottles. I take a water bottle, and put John 4:14-15 "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." --Jesus Christ. The other scripture is the scripture known as the salvation scripture. It is Romans 10:11 "As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame." That if you confess with your mouth "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Then I rubber band it on the water bottle together with a granola bar -- when I give them the bottle, I find out their name, and offer to pray for them. It has been amazing to get to know some of them.
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