Jesus Constantly Helped Others
As followers of Christ, our mission is to represent Jesus in this world based on 1 John 2:6, Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
And what was Jesus always about? Helping others. Reaching out in tangible ways. Everywhere He went, Jesus was helping.
The church is called to be sanctified in Christ. This means we are holy, set apart, different than the world. In doing this, we ask, What would Jesus do?
If we represent his name, we must do what He did, walk as He walked. As Henry Drummond says, Have you ever noticed how much of Christs life was spent in doing kind things?
Whatever You’ve Done To The Least Of These
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'”
In a powerful parable about God’s judgment, people are separated based on the service they’ve provided to the most vulnerable including the hungry, sick, and imprisoned.
To everyone’s complete surprise, Jesus so identifies with these vulnerable ones that He communicates that by serving them, we actually serve Him. Those that withheld care for the lowly are judged for withholding it from Jesus.
Help The Poor Among Your Fellow Israelites
“If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need.”
Throughout the Old Testament, God offers explicit instructions to His people about how to treat others. He instructs them to take care of one another, and He encourages them to take care of outsiders. He doesn’t leave the issue open to interpretation. The Israelites should have everyone’s good in mind.
This sentiment is echoed in the New Testament when Jesus instructs an expert in the law. He sums up the entire law as loving God and loving our neighbor. To justify himself, the lawyer asks, “And who is my neighbor?” That’s when Jesus gives the Parable of the Good Samaritan, showing that we’re all one another’s neighbor.
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The Righteous Care About The Poor
“The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.”
In the end, the law is summed up in our love for God and for others. This means that our righteousness is seen in our regard for othersparticularly those in need. The wicked are unconcerned about the poor because they are only focused on their own desires.
What Does The Bible Say About Poverty
Yennifer, 6, holds her family’s bible. She lives in Guatemala.
The Bible is rich in wisdom about Gods love for people living in poverty and about our responsibility to help. We love the way Jesus showed us how to care for the poor and oppressed. Reflect on these Bible verses and pray for children, families, and communities in need. Heres what the Bible says about poverty.
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Who Are The Poor
Anyone who lacks sufficient money to live at a standard considered comfortable or normal in a society is considered poor. There are many reasons someone could be poor. Sometimes poverty is the result of foolish decisions , and other times poverty is no fault of ones own . Often, systemic injustices contribute to the cycle of poverty . Poverty, though, does not deprive a person of his or her humanness. Everyone bears the image of God because we are humanscreated by God and made in his image. The reason for someones poverty shouldnt determine the value we place on him or her, and the way we treat the poor around us is a reflection of how we view their Maker .
Bible Verses About Serving The Poor
God cares about the poor and we are to care as well. We dont realize that to someone living on the street or someone in another country making 100-300 dollars a month, we are rich. Its hard for the rich to get into Heaven. We must stop thinking about self and think about others in need.
We are commanded to help the poor with a cheerful heart, not with a grudging one. When you serve the poor you are not only serving them you are serving Christ as well.
Youre storing for yourself great treasure in Heaven. God will not forget your blessing to others. Serve the poor expecting nothing in return.
Dont do it for show like some hypocrites. People dont need to know what youre doing. Have empathy for others, do it out of love, and for the glory of God.
Sacrifice your time, your money, your food, your water, your clothes, and you will feel so much joy in serving others. Pray with the poor and pray for an opportunity to help those in need.
Quotes
- While we dont have Jesus standing right before us, we have unlimited opportunities to serve Him as though He were.
- The great thing about serving the poor is that there is no competition. Eugene Rivers
- If you cant feed a hundred people, then feed just one.
Serving Christ by serving others.
What does the Bible say?
2. Deuteronomy 15:11 There will always be poor people in the land. That is why I command you to be ready to help your brother or sister. Give to the poor in your land who need help.
Instructions to the rich.
Bonus
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Loving To Do What Is Right
The more we do what is rightespecially in helping othersthe more we love to do what is right. Our good God loves to teach us to love to do good, reflecting his character. Through obedience, we are drawn closer to Christ and reflect his glory in the world.
Isaiah 1:17: Learn to do good seek justice, correct oppression bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widows cause.
Whoever Is Kind To The Poor Lends To The Lord And He Will Reward Them For What They Have Done
This Bible verse about giving to the poor among us, confirms that when we are kind or giving to the poor and needy, this lends to the Lord, and we will be rewarded.
By giving to the poor, we are serving others and The Lord Jesus Christ and therefore his purpose for our lives. These deeds will not go unnoticed, and there will be treasure in Heaven for those that give to the poor.
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If You Want To Be Perfect Go Sell Your Possessions And Give To The Poor And You Will Have Treasure In Heaven Then Come Follow Me
Sometimes it is hard to part with what we have. We feel as though we have worked hard for our possessions and find it difficult to share this with the poor and needy around us. The Bible tells us to help the needy in any way possible and this includes a call to give refuge to a poor brother and shelter from the storm.
However, in this scripture on helping the poor, we are reminded that we must not place our worth on our worldly possessions but on what is waiting for us in Heaven. If we invite the poor to share in our possessions on earth, we will have treasure in Heaven that will be greater than any on earth.
Make Provision For The Poor
“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.”
The Israelites weren’t the only nation in the ancient near east that didn’t harvest the edges of their fields. But those nations left their unharvested produce as a sacrifice for their gods. Yahweh’s law was different.
God demanded that the outside of the field be left unpicked and that farmers didn’t go over an area again to pick up with they missed. But this sacrifice was to ensure that the poor and the foreigners had enough food to eat, too.
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What Does The Story Of Lazarus Teach Us
Jesus statement I am the resurrection and the life along with his power to raise Lazarus from the dead teach us that everything the Bible has to say about heaven, hell, and the promise of eternal life is wrapped up in the person of the Lord, Jesus Christ. When Lazarus died, Jesus was just getting started.
Haitian Offerings For The Poor
Haiti is poor. Incredibly poor.
Most Haitian believers come from those poor masses.
Their joyous worship includestithing their meager incomes. That usually happens when ushers pass offering plates in themiddle of the service. Sunday morning worship services often begin, however, with anotheroffering: an offering for the poor. That jolted me. An offering for the poor?
The annual per-capita income in Haiti averages about $350 per person. They’re probably thepoorest people in the Western Hemisphere. Asking them to give an “offering for the poor”sounds absurd. Nonetheless, that’s what they do, and do so joyfully. Haitian believers may beunbelievably poverty-stricken. But they see the widow, the orphan, the one who is too sick towork his tiny plot of ground. Divinely-inspired compassion prompts them to help. Hence, theirweekly offerings for the poor.
This offering for the poor is usually a “march offering.” Those with something to give leavetheir seats. Considering it a blessed privilege, with great delight they march down front and puttheir offering in a basket on the altar. The pastor and church board use these funds to help themost desperate cases in the congregation.
What Haitian believers give is not much compared to Hunger and Disaster fund help comingto their country. Still, each week those Haitian believers give their offering to the poor. Theirresponse humbles me. It challenges me. It reminds me of the widow in the Temple and her twolittle copper coins.
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Will A Rich Man Go To Heaven
The answer is yes, it is possible for a rich man go to heaven. As written in the Bible, there were testimonies of rich people who faithfully obeyed God and there are actually many of them. By understanding that money is not the root of all evil but the love of money that brings about sin, is the absolute awareness.
Bible Verses About Giving To The Poor
The wicked borrows and does not pay back,But the righteous is gracious and gives.
He who gives to the poor will never want,But he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.
So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
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The Wickedness Of Selfishness
Scripture doesnt merely teach the praiseworthiness of helpfulness but also condemns its opposite, selfishness. This is the other side of It is more blessed to give than to receive. It is a cursed thing to act selfishly at anothers expense. God graciously warns us against walking down this path, which consumes those who take it.
Proverbs 3:27: Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.
Proverbs 21:13: Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.
Ephesians 4:28: Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
Philippians 2:3-4: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
2 Thessalonians 3:10: For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.
1 Timothy 5:8: But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
What Does The Lord Require Of You
Throughout Scripture, God reveals his heart for the poor. We see Gods concern for poor people when he speaks of the injustices toward them. Consider the prophets Amos and Micah. Although they were both ultimately getting at Israels heart-issue, in the process, they addressed Gods concern for the poor, Gods judgment on those who abuse the poor, and the reality of systemic injustice and the cycle of poverty.
The reason for someones poverty shouldnt determine the value we place on him or her, and the way we treat the poor around us is a reflection of how we view their Maker .
In light of Gods care for the poor people among us, how should we treat them? We should begin by remembering the words of Micah: Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the LORD requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God . This should guide us as we seek to care for poor people the way that God does. Jesus perfectly exemplified the heart of God and didnt neglect the poor or their needs. In fact, he tenderly cared for the poor and often spoke about how we should treat them.
Marissa Postell currently serves as the managing editor of content at NRB. She graduated from Union University with a degree in public relations, where she served as the news editor of Cardinal & Cream, the schools student publication. As a writer, Marissa hopes to tell compelling narratives to equip the Read More
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Bible Verses About Helping The Poor And Orphans
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed. Proverbs 19:17
But if anyone has the worlds goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does Gods love abide in him? 1 John 3:17
Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered. Proverbs 21:13
Jesus said to him, If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven and come, follow me. Matthew 19:21
Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor. Proverbs 22:9
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27
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, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? 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 25:35-40
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Do Not Pervert Justice
“Do not pervert justice do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.”
The justice of the Israelites was to reflect God’s impartiality. The fairness lacking in a broken world was to be relieved by the unbiased nature of the Hebrew legal system. The poor were to be cared for, but not in a way that showed prejudice against the rich. Likewise, the rich were not to receive special treatment when decisions were made.
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Bible Verses About Helping The Needy
Bible verses related to Helping The Needy from the King James Version by Relevance
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God Commands Us To Help The Poor
Unfortunately, I think things like our own wealth, or politics, or even the media sometimes give us wrong ideas about poverty. I hear people repeat the phrase, Well, God helps them who help themselves . In fact, its the exact opposite of what the Bible teaches. The gospel teaches us that God saved us when we were helpless in our sins, and in the same way, the Bible commands us to help the helpless and the needy in our world who sometimes cant help themselves. In fact, if you look all the way back in the Old Testament, youll see that
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