How to be Kind to the Poor

Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor! The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble.The Lord protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity in the land and rescues them from their enemies.The Lord nurses them when they are sick and restores them to health.Psalms 41:1-3 (NLT)

If the church is to do anything in response the suffering of humanity, now would be a perfect time for doing it.

Psalm 41 gives us a perfect place to start - with the poor.

Now, poor does not necessarily mean that you do not have anything. You could have poor health or need food or have little amounts money. Knowing this, how can the church respond with an economic crisis striking our nation?

You may say that "my church doesn't have the ability to serve the poor with food, money, shelter, or anything." What about joint ventures with other churches in your community? What about the services of your local food bank?

Could you volunteer time in these places? Could you help organize food collection for your local community services?

How about the talents you may have? Can you teach people how to effectively use a computer and the various office programs needed for an office job? Can you teach about other talents you may have such as how to budget or how to interview for a job or how to create a resume?

Can you show people where they can find the help they need? Does your church have a list of benevolence agencies in your area (if not, can you produce one)?

Look at what happens when we are kind to the poor or those in need:

• The Lord rescues us when we are in trouble - why? God doesn't like to waste talent
• The Lord protects us - why? There is still plenty of work to be done
  
• The Lord keeps us alive - why? So we can show others the route to true life
• The Lord prospers the land - why? So we have the resources necessary to continue caring for the poor
• The Lord protects from enemies - why? Every enemy is a potential inhabitant in heaven and we don't need those kind of distractions
  
• The Lord nurses us when we are sick - why? He cares for us
• The Lord restores us to health - why? He can't help Himself - He loves us too much

Could you use a little more joy in your life? What are you going to do about it? Let me know what you think - leave a comment.