1 John 3: 17-18, Matthew 25: 31-46
"How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s good and sees one in need and refuses to help?" -1 John 3: 17-18
We are called each and everyday to help those in need. This doesn’t mean to give money to every single homeless or poor person we see every time we see them. If we did, I am sure we would soon run out of money ourselves, and how would that be improving situations? You’re right, it wouldn’t. But if we sit back refusing to help the poor, then how are we showing them the face of Jesus.
“Jesus proclaims his mission: to bring good news to the poor and oppressed.” -Luke 4:16-21
“What you do for the least among you, you do for Jesus.” -Matthew 25:34-40
Each and every one of us has the right to life and have the dignity that it deserves, but it is our duty to help the poor to enable to be active participants in society. To allow them the ability to actively participate in order to contribute towards the common good. Being poor is many times seen as a disease, or as if we will catch it if we get too close, but we need to see it as it is hurting us as a community. But we don’t reach out and we step back because we don’t want to catch being poor, therefore showing just how wounded and how much we are suffering each individually and as a community. The only way to truly help the poor is to help them become active participants so that we can become a whole community.
“Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.”- Proverbs 14:31
You see we all have the right and dignity of life, even those that can’t necessarily afford it. They still deserve to right to live. Who are we to take that away from them? But when we are generous to those in need, we are honoring the Lord, and making Him happy. Well I want to make him happy don’t you?
Lastly, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” -Matthew 25:31-46
The Lord wants us to find his face in the poor, he wants us to see the strangers and welcome them into our hearts and lives. He wants us to provide our time and efforts so that others can regain strength to become an active part of society. We are called to love them in charity, to love them as ourselvesThey have the very right that you have the benefit and joy to live out each and every day. There are many ways that we can help the poor; not just food shelters, donating your clothes, donate your time to food shelters, donate your money, donate your time.I want to be one of the sheep in the end, so the end reward seems pretty dang worth it.
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