SEARCHLIGHT
Are you allowing the poor to help you to live the Christian life?
SCRIPTURE
"All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along." Galatians 2:10 NIV
SPOTLIGHT
Have you ever been poor? Some of you have and many of you have not. It is possible to have been poor and now you do not remember the poor. You prefer to distance yourself from your past life. Likewise, it is very possible to never have been poor and you never remember them because you don’t have to or want to. Paul wrote the Galatian Christians telling them that sharing the Good News with the Gentiles was his primary concern. Then he added he wanted to also never forget to bless the poor.
Paul used the word “remember.” It means more than recalling a thought or retrieving a memory. “Remember” is action based. It means doing, not seeing, or participating rather than spectating.
We, who have much, can forget the poor. People with plenty can easily overlook those in poverty. Sometimes we accuse them of digging their own destiny. Other times we avoid them. In the Old Testament, God told the Jewish people that the poor are worthy of respect because they are human beings created by Him. God’s chosen people were told to care for the poor. [Deuteronomy 15:11; 24:21,22]
To remember means more than to know about something. To remember is to take steps to become actively involved. Recall two other commands where you are told in Scripture to remember. The Bible says to remember the Sabbath. [Exodus 20:8-11] You are to make a day of worship and rest, not just recall it. The Bible says to remember Christ’s death by taking communion. [1 Corinthians 11:23-26] You are not just to think about Calvary but participate by taking the bread and cup. This word “remember” clearly means finding practical ways to involve yourself.
Who are the poor? Poverty stricken families in the USA may have food and shelter but also have less education, less access to nutritionally healthy food, more health problems and most likely living in high-crime areas. On a world scale, impoverished families do not have enough
money to provide the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter. How are you practically involving yourself in helping the impoverished?
When you REMEMBER THE POOR, you will not just be giving but greatly receiving. Note what happens to you. Below is a list of blessings you will receive by helping the poor:
- You are giving rather than keeping…sharing rather than accumulating. Jesus said when you give, you get. [Luke 6:38]
- You are helping rather than observing; serving rather than expecting to be served. Jesus said followers should be servants. [Mark 9:35]
- You are appreciating the difference between necessities and luxuries. [1 Timothy 6:17]
- You are expressing compassion rather than expressing criticism. [1 Peter 3:10,11]
- You are helping yourself not to just think about yourself. [Philippians 2:3,4]
- You are honoring Jesus. [Matthew 25:40]
- You are obeying God’s Word, the Bible, giving out of your abundance, acknowledging the Bible as God’s divinely written authority. [Luke 12:48]
- You are developing eyes to see needs as God sees them. [Deuteronomy 12:48]
- You are seeing the importance of giving without expecting anything in return.
- You are remembering that you need to be poor in spirit in order to see God. Jesus taught this when he preached His Sermon on the Mount. [Matthew 5:3]
SOMETHING TO DO
Take the time to be blessed by looking up all the above Bible verses. When you read God’s Word, you hear God’s voice.
SOUL TIME PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, I want to remember the poor. Give me your eyes and show me what steps to take to bless those in physical, emotional, financial, and spiritual need. AMEN!