God Will Honor Those Who Give to the Poor

Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive and he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed. ---Psalm 41:1-3

We have been studying why people, God’s people, get sick. We cannot forget to consider the fact that God in the Old Testament, then Jesus in the New Testament wants to see those who have, give to the have-nots. There are always people that are in worse condition than you, whether it be financially, positionally, or physically. What God would like to see is a heart-felt compassion on the part of His people toward the poor and needy.

Look at today’s scripture. “Blessed is he who considers the poor.” The word, blessed means, happy! And why not? Look what happens when we give to the poor. The Lord will help us get out of trouble, put a hedge around you, recover and repair you so you can be a blessing on the earth! When we instruct, teach, understand and wittingly guide the poor, God will not allow our enemies to do what they would like to do to us. When we do get sick, God is the one who will not only comfort us, but hold up and refresh us. God is the one that will make a change in your circumstances when you are sick, anxious or in a calamity.

What is it that triggers all this help from God in our lives? When we give to the poor! Jesus said, in Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Merciful means those who are compassionate. However we must not give to the poor grudgingly or because we want to receive the benefits of God’s protection and healing. We must give to the poor because it is in our heart to help other people. God loves those who are poor and needy. He has a plan for their lives and future. He died for them, too!

We have a tendency to turn our eyes away from those that are suffering and in lack, whether in this country or a foreign land until someone can give a personal testimony on a particular individual. Don’t hide from these people. They need you. When you give to a ministry or an individual, you honor God and help someone who will be blessed by your donation. When you bless others, you will find yourself equally, if not more, blessed.

Confession: I commit to find someone or an organization that can help the poor. I ask God to give me wisdom and discernment to find just the one that He wants me to help. If I don’t find some one, I will trust an organization to take care of the poor through my donation. I do this not to look for a blessing, but to be obedient to my God. I desire the compassion of Jesus so I can help my brothers and sisters in Christ.