Caring for the Poor
“The godly care about the rights of the poor, but the wicked don’t care at all.” – Proverbs 29:7
Money in our society equals power. Don’t have money? Then you often lack the power to protect or defend yourself. Poverty traps its victims in a sense of hopelessness.
And yet we read stories of those who overcame poverty. Many a popular store came to be as a result of a poor man with an idea or dream. Not every person in poverty remains in poverty.
This morning we consider the rights of those who live in poverty. A godly person cares about the rights of the poor. Money brings power, however, if you lack money God says the godly people should help you.
The wicked, we are told, don’t care at all. “That is their problem,” I have heard some say. Often it is easy to see the poor as those who made bad choices. Those choices have consequences. Thus the wicked refuse to help even though they could. Have you never made a bad choice that cost you? Did anyone help you?
First I must say that not every person in poverty chose to be where they are. Often the disabled live in poverty because they cannot work or because nobody will hire them. With the current health crisis many businesses have closed, leaving people out of work and unable to pay the bills. Yes some folks brought on their own poverty, but is that a good reason to simply point a finger and turn away? Is that godly behavior?
I challenge you this morning to consider the poor. Have you turned away or turned a blind eye to their situation, not wanting to get involved? Surely you do not want to be numbered with the wicked. In church we are taught about sins of commission and sins of omission. To not do what you read in God’s word you should do, God calls that sin. To ignore the needs of others, according to the word of God, is sin. So today will you be like the godly or like the wicked?
These morning meditations written by Christian believer and author, Patricia Hawkins, offer them for your personal edification. You may contact Patricia at prayerpartnerpat@gmail.com.