“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:40
If we give to others, we are giving to God. We need to cultivate an attitude of giving.
These were the days before government handout programs; no welfare, AFDC, disability or Social Security. If you were ill, or disabled you had to depend on your family to take care of you. If you had no family you had to depend on neighbors and friends. God commanded the Israelites to leave part of their crops in the field for those that were able to work and just down on their luck.
He also commanded them to have compassion on those that could not work.
Israel had a poor track record of following His commands, though. They charged fellow Israelites interest, (which was against The Law and very uncompassionate to those in need), and made them slaves when they were not supposed to. God punished Israel for this.
In the New Testament Paul instructed the church that
“…if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” 1Timothy 5:8
An infidel is an unbeliever, an atheist. We are to care for those in our own family that need help or else we have disgraced our God.
Jesus says we, the church, are to care for the fatherless and widows.
The fatherless are those children who, for whatever reason, do not have a father in the home. They would not only be short of food, but spiritual, moral and academic education.
A father was also responsible for helping his son get set up in his line of work to support his family, whether it was starting a farm or a business, and choosing an appropriate husband for his daughter. A child, especially a boy, without a father would be pretty much doomed to a life of servitude and menial labor while a girl would be prey for any man who wanted to take advantage of her. Creeps would have no guardian to fear making him pay for mistreatment of "Daddy's Princess".
Things have not changed as much as we might like to believe. Children without a father in the home do far worse, generally speaking, in school than those with a father. They are also more likely to get involved in gangs, drugs, pre-marital sex and violence in general as well as spend some time in poverty.
I know there are exceptions, but generally speaking fatherless children still start life with disadvantages that fathered children do not usually have. Our government has tried to even things out through taxes and financial help programs, but it simply has not worked. Money is not what these children need. Fatherless children need us, their relatives, neighbors and the church, to step in and help them, teach them, and love them.
The disturbing thing I see happening is symptoms of "Fatherlessness" creeping into homes where there is a father; drugs, alcohol use, premarital sex, violence, rebellion, etc. So many in our society have given their children over to the schools and media to raise, that children with parents are beginning to act like they don't have any. We need to take an active role in our own children's lives and then reach out to children that don't have fathers to protect and teach them.
Widows are women who were married, but whose husband died. A woman who never married would generally stay in her parent's home helping them out with the day to day work of the farm or minding the store while they provided her with food and housing. If her parents died, She would move in with a brother, uncle or cousin.
A divorced woman or a young widow generally returned to her parent's home until she remarried.
An older woman with grown children would move in with them.
But an older widow whose children are not grown yet would be less likely to have parents still living and other relatives would be less likely to take on a woman with children. One mouth to feed is one thing, but two, three or even more might be beyond their ability to help or even just fit into the house. Many women would end up selling their children into slavery just to make sure they had food and housing.
God commanded the church to take care of any women that were truly widowed, that didn't have grown children or other relatives to care for them and were too old to remarry. It appears they were to feed, clothe and house the widows while the women spent their time ministering to the saints (the congregation). This is a simple solution to a serious problem.
We must, also, be compassionate towards those who are "Grace Widows/widowers;" individuals who are divorced through no fault of their own. If a man abandons his wife for a younger woman, the wife should be treated as a widow and their children cared for like the fatherless. This is in line with Paul's command that the abandoned are free from their marriage vows.
I can't help but wonder; If the church here in America had done a better job of caring for the poor maybe those that think it is the government's job might not have been able to get those programs passed that eat up three dollars for every dollar that actually gets to the poor.
Sarah also reached out to the needy. You know, "the needy" does not always mean the same thing as the poor.
Face it, in America we consider some one poor if they can't afford a TV and a smart phone.
The rest of the world thinks poverty is not having food, clothes, clean water and housing.
Yet, I am not sure but what there are more needy in America than in other countries. Many in our country do not have the even more basic necessities of life; someone to love that loves them back, and a reason for living. Those who are needy may not be in poverty. They may even be rich. But if they do not have anyone to love nor a purpose in life they are very needy. They need us who have the Love of God to reach out to them and share it. They need to know that there is Someone who loves them so much He died for them.
Think about that; Jesus- the all-powerful God who runs the universe- loves you so much He not only takes the time to keep track of how many hairs you have on your head, but He chose to go to the cross- willingly- to pay the price for your sins. Crucifixion is one of, if not THE, most torturous methods of execution ever invented by man. Yet Jesus went through that so you would not have to.
He loves you that much.
Even if I had no one else, I know my Jesus loves me and I love Him for it. God gives us a reason for living. Our reason is to worship Him and share His love with others. People need to know that Jesus knows them, loves them, and is concerned about them. We should be also. Jesus said
“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:35
If you have never accepted Jesus into your heart, please do so today. He loves you so much He wants to be part of your life and help you.
If you have Jesus, find someone in your life who is needy and reach out to them, whether it is to feed and clothe them or to hold their hand and spend time with them. Share your Jesus with them through your actions. Actions speak louder than words, you know.
No comments:
Post a Comment