HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 259
page A257
• J E R E MI A H 2 2 :1 6 | He gave justice and help to the poor and needy, and everything went
well for him. Isn’t that what it means to know me?” says the Lord.
• MAT T H E W 7 :1 2 | “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.”
• J A ME S 2 :2 -4 | For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy
clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty
clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say
to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, doesn’t this
discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?
God has compassion for the poor, so if we would be godly, we must have compassion for
the poor. Compassion that does not affect our checkbooks or get onto our to-do list is
philosophical passion, not godly passion. Helping the poor is not merely an obligation; it’s
a privilege that should bring us great joy.
• L E VI T I C U S 1 9 :9 -1 0 | When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain
along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. . . . Leave them
for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the Lord your God.
In New Testament times, the Pharisees taught that wealth was proof of God’s favor and
a sign of a person’s righteousness. Jesus surprised them with this story of a beggar who
was blessed in the next life while the rich man was punished. Through faith in Jesus, those
who suffer in this lifetime will experience the full grace of God and vindication in heaven.
This is part of our ultimate redemption, but it will not happen apart from faith in Jesus.
This fact of heavenly vindication does not excuse any of us from caring for needs whenever and wherever we can. We will not be able to help everyone, but we are to minister to
those “at our gate” who we learn are needy.
How did Christ become poor so that I might become spiritually rich?
• 2 C O R I NT H I A NS 8 :9 | You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he
was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
Christ emptied himself of heaven’s riches, coming to earth as a baby. He chose to live
simply and not in great wealth or prestige. He died with nothing so that we might inherit
the vast riches of eternal life.
PROMISES FROM GOD
• PR O VE R B S 2 8 :2 7 | Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing.
• PSA L M 1 1 3 :6 -8 | He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth. He lifts the poor from
the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes.
Prayer See also Communication; Presence of God; Will of God; Worship
The most universally practiced yet least understood of human experiences, prayer is one
of the great mysteries of the Christian faith. Its simplest definition is communication with
God. Yet so often we approach prayer like a one-way telephone conversation, forgetting
that God also wants to speak to us. And how do we pray—on our knees or standing;
silently or out loud; alone or with others; by rote or spontaneously? And does prayer
really induce God to change events or otherwise act on our behalf? Prayer appears on
HelpFinder
• L U K E 1 6 :2 2 -2 3 | “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside
Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried, and he went to
the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus
at his side.”
P
Throughout the Bible God watches out for the poor and urges us to do the same. In these
verses he instructs farmers to leave some grain and fruit in their fields after harvest so the
poor can find food. This law probably saved the lives of Ruth and Naomi (read Ruth 2:1-3).
What can you leave for the poor from your abundance? It is everyone’s responsibility to
care for the less fortunate. It is a practical and essential way to demonstrate your faith in
everyday life.