Lend to The Lord
In the book of proverbs we read,
“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.” Proverbs 19:17.
Do you lend to The Lord? Are you kind to the poor?
Take a look in any city in the world and you will see people living on the street. They are there for a myriad of reason, mental illness, addiction to drugs or just simply not earning enough to be able to keep a roof over their head.
In every city there are also the “hidden poor”. These are people working in low paying jobs who have a place to live but sadly have to decide each week whether to pay the rent, or buy food.
Christians historically do help the poor. There are many Christian agencies, churches, and individuals that do a lot to help those in need.
Christians however have a lot to learn from our Jewish friends who have a custom or obligation, they called “Tzedakah”. According to one Jewish website,
“The word “tzedakah” is derived form the Hebrew root Tzadei-dalet-Qof, meaning righteousness, justice or fairness. In Judaism giving to the poor is not viewed as a generous, magnanimous act, it is simply and act of righteousness, performance of a duty giving the poor their due."
Tzedakah is an obligation in Judaism.
"The obligation to perform tzedakah can be fulfilled by giving money to the poor, to health care institutions, to Synagogues or educational institutions. It can also be fulfilled by supporting your children beyond the age when you are legally required to, or supporting your parents in their old age. The obligation includes giving both to Jews and gentiles...”
Thus my questions;
Do you lend to The Lord?
Are you kind to the poor?
Do you give the poor their due?
Please think about it.
