Where are the needy?

Scripture for grounding our lives:

Matthew 25:35

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,

Proverbs 19:17

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.

Proverbs 22:9

Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.

Luke 14:12-14

He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

Proverbs 28:27

Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.

Proverbs 14:31

Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.

Isaiah 58:10

If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.

1 John 3:17-18

But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Luke 3:11

And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”

Proverbs 21:13 ESV

Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.

Isaiah 58:7 ESV

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Deuteronomy 15:11

For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

Proverbs 14:21

Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.

Luke 6:38

Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Ezekiel 18:7

Does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment,

Deuteronomy 15:7

“If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother,

Matthew 25:40

And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Matthew 5:42

Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

1 Timothy 6:17-19

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

As you can see, there is no clearer message in the Bible than to give and take care of those in need. This message is spread across the entirety of the Bible from the Old Testament to the epistles. The way we heed this message and deliver on its promise is not only for the benefit of those in need but for those that give of their time and money. The last excerpt from 1 Timothy says it best, you do these deeds and thus you store up treasures for yourself as a good foundation, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. This is how you live the good life. We thrive by helping and being around others in fellowship. It’s not about you in the grand scheme of things. We receive JOY from life by putting Jesus first, Others second, and then Yourself.

How far must you go to find those in need? All you have to do is walk down any street and see that the need is excessive and on every corner of your life. Whether you live in the city where the streets are lined with the homeless or in your own neighborhood because its your neighbor that lives on your street in your small rural town. You see, we can’t always see the need but it’s there. We have to trust that Jesus will lead us to those areas where we can help the most. Ours is not to question the need, just react in kindness and love. We shouldn’t judge someone on how they came to be in need or question does the need exist. I hear it and have thought it….well that person drives a nice car or lives in a nice neighborhood. We don’t know the details behind what we see. It may be their sister’s car or they could be living with a relative. We are often to quick to judge which distorts our giving and it drives away the need from being an opportunity to minister and help another of God’s children. That is our calling. We should give freely and if the person is being deceptive, that really is for them and God to sort out. Not me. So the next time someone asks you for money and you really do have a little cash in your pocket (and not just a credit card), give freely and leave the judging to the One that we will all have stand in front of and account for our lives. So when Jesus asks you on Judgement day, “Why didn’t you feed me?”, what will your response be?