For The Poor
7 If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. 8 Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. 9 Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: "The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near," so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. 10 Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.
Bee's Thoughts:
Tonight's devotion has the same theme as the earlier one, "Consider The Poor".
Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. —Psalm 41:1
The Hebrew word translated "considers" means "to take thought for others." The word translated "poor" means "those in need."We know we should help the poor, but the challenge is in knowing who are the genuinely poor and who are those who have poor money/material management. In my line of work we do encountered a number who claimed to be poor and are unable to pay school fees. However, on further checks we learnt that these are those who mis-manage their money in things less important (luxury goods).
Therefore, we need discernment to know the difference and act accordingly. One way my church does to help the poor is to give ration to the 3rd world country folks through our mission trips. In this way we help to provide for the villagers' basic needs.
Dear Lord,
Teach me to know who are the true poor and who are those who need to learn how to manage their funds. Help me to be wise in my dealings with those who pretense.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Tommy's Thoughts:
As I was flying back to KL today, I saw from the plane rural houses scattered within the oil palm plantation areas. Those timber houses with zinc roofs were linked between each others with laterite roads. I was pondering on the lives of those plantation workers living at those houses daily.
It’s true many of us live our comfortable lives each day without ever giving a single thought to those poor and needy people around us. We need to learn from God, who has a heart for the poor and never closes His eyes to their plight. Seek opportunities to be like Jesus who showed His compassion for the poor both by words and actions.
Dear Father, thank You for reminding to be aware and to seek ways to help those in need. Lead me to join and help out in church program to assist the poor in fulfilling their needs and to share Your love and care for them. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
