Verse: Proverbs 19:17
Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.
Thoughts
Do you ever feel like is it hard to know what God is "calling you to do" in your life? I know at times in my life that question has felt so overwhelming. It can feel almost paralyzing. Does that ever happen to you?
This proverb doesn't answer that directly of course, but it got me thinking this morning. What is one thing you can always know that God is "calling you to do?" Be kind to the poor.
This isn't something we have to pray about and languish over, we can always know that if we want to do something in God's will, we can be kind to the poor. Jesus tells us that we will "always have the poor among" us. And he also tells whatever we do for the "least of these" we do for him.
Caring for the poor, being kind to the poor, being generous with the poor, is a way to directly minister to Jesus.
And I want to just say that no matter what age you are, you can start doing this. It doesn't have to be a grand gesture. You can start simply by donating time and/or money to a local ministry or non profit that cares for the poor. If your church doesn't have anything in place yet, talk to the pastor, get things rolling!
I personally believe all Christians should be caring for the poor. And in my experience, every time I engage in this kind of ministry, I learn more about Jesus, he teaches me more about how I need to grow, and I make good friends with people I didn't know before. Praise God!
Prayer
God I pray that you would show if and how I should start engaging with caring for the poor.