“Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing. But a curse will come upon those who close their eyes to poverty.” - Proverbs 28:27
I realize that this is the second post in a row on the same topic, but I just can’t seem to shake this. It has been on my mind constantly for the past month. I guess I just wonder what the world would be like if people actually gave sh*%. I constantly see people living in the margins of this earth, battered and bruised by life, and I am broken by it; and yet I do so little. The thing is that all Christ followers are called to love and treat the marginalized and poor just as we would treat our beloved Christ Jesus (”one of the least of these”).
What scares me and worries me and appalls me is that the church - and when I say “the church” I mean the individual lives of people who claim to follow Christ, and in effect, are the church - seems to shut its eyes to the poverty stricken in hopes that they will just go away. Many times the church seems to pass the mission of Christ off to the government as they build houses for the houseless, and feed the hungry, and clothe those with no clothes. Somehow the church has outsourced the mission of Christ to those who don’t even follow Christ. The church plays hot potato with this issue, passing it off to anyone but themselves, and then all of a sudden gets exited when Paul Hewson (aka: Bono) starts caring about the atrocities in Africa, when we should have been caring all along!
Lord, I pray that you would fill me with your love so that I might be the mission of Christ as I tangibly show others your love and life. Help me God, for I know that I will screw up and miss the point, but bring me back to the centre constantly to drink of your life and love. I love you Father…teach me to love as you do
4 Responses
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These days people like you are so fricken rare. So what are you thinking, what can we do where are we going to go from here. I just spoke to someone that just does not fill loved or wanted, what crushed me was that this person goes to Aqueous. When can we get together or do something mark.
Posted by mark
You always get me thinking about this issue. Perhaps one of my biggest problems with myself (and the church collectively as well) is the whole idea of tithes. I have no problem giving away 10% of my income, but what if we were to actually give away 10% or more of our daily lives physically helping to bring the Kingdom of God into broken peoples lives? It is so easy in America for people just to write checks to help the poor and leave it at that, but I want to find a more meaningful way to constantly be helping those in need.
Posted by Sarah
I believe also that “poor” doesn’t just mean financial need. By allowing the Lord to use us to help people in their spirit through love and helping them become who God created them to be is very important. That is their “poverty” As they (we) become whole, the money issues seem small. Praying and fasting for people’s lives is an important part of not closing our eyes… that is what we can be doing!
Posted by Kristin
I fully understand and agree completely with what you are saying Kristin, that we need to be people who cry out to God for the spiritual lives of people, though I don’t think that is what this verse it talking about. If we become people that only pray, but don’t tangibly help people in physical need I think that we have only satisfied one half of the equation. The inverse is true as well: If we become people who only care for the physical needs of the poor and downtrodden and don’t pray and intercede, we have also missed the mark:
“Dear brothers and sisters, what’s the use of saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can’t save anyone. Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, and you say, “Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well”–but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all–it is dead and useless.” (James 2:14-17)
Posted by Ryan