CONSIDER THE POOR
Proverbs 19:6-7, 17
It is natural with man to want to give or show favour to a person who will return the favour, and probably in higher percentage. This is not the kind of giving that Jesus advocated. We are not to look forward to what we can get from the kindness we are expressing. Psalms 41:1-2: “Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him on time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies”
We will always have the poor among us. The care for them is a responsibility the Lord has committed into our hands. It is the will of God for us to consider the poor. Don’t wait for them to seek you out for favour. Find them yourself and meet their needs according to the capacity the Lord gives you. Don’t hold back. It is for this purpose that the Lord has given you this grace.
Some people erroneously think they don’t have enough themselves not to talk of giving. No. The little in your hands can be shared. Don’t wait until your cup runs over before you are a blessing to somebody. Remember the widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17? She blessed Prophet Elijah with the only meal she had left for herself and her son. She received the reward of her obedience to the Prophet’s instruction. Her barrel of meal was never exhausted afterwards.
When giving, do not look up to the person you are blessing for a reward. Your reward is with God who gives the instruction. When your obedience is total, you will be richly blessed in return.
Memory Verse: “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 their land” (Deuteronomy 15:11).
PRAYER: I receive the Grace of the cheerful Giver. Help me Lord to always obey You in this matter.
