DESPISE NOT THE POOR......
"These street people just need to get a job."
So, tell me, how does a young lady get a job when she has nowhere to wash her hair? HR will see her hair, and they will mentally rebel at her, and she has NO chance to be hired.
I have talked to many people, mostly men, who are poor, on the street and riding the rails. Nearly all of them have a dream or plan they intend to follow to get out of the hole of homelessness. Most of them do not see their dream come true.
So, how do we see them? How do we talk about them? Do we join them in their dream and do or say something to kick them on down the road to find their dream? Or, do we have a social category for all the homeless people we see..... LOSER.
We who follow Christ better stop and meditate on our Lord:
Matthew 19:21 - "Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me."
Many churches in America have NO fund or plan to give to the poor.
Luke 4:18 - "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."
Jesus CHOSE the poor as his audience. Do we? Or, do we try to win souls only if they own a home and have a BMW and a nice bank account?
Luke 6:20 - "And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God."
Context, context, context! He looked at his disciples, and he addressed them as "ye poor." How many pastors today SEEK the poor to be their disciples? I have heard a few stories about pastors who courted only bankers and car dealers to give the Gospel. I feel like joining Jesus as he knocks at their door, and puke (Rev. 3:16).
Luke 14:13-14 - "But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just."
There is no blessing to the soul of a believer like that of bringing a poor person to their feasting table. And, poor may be poor in spirit or poor in emotional state even more than they are poor in cash. Being part of a family gathering for a few hours is something the homeless may never feel.
The people whom the Pharisees considered losers are the people Jesus came to preach to.
Most of us see very few homeless people around our neighborhood because the suburbs are not where they hang out. They are downtown in big cities. But, there are people all around us, at work, at school, and especially at church who are barely making it. They live in constant fear that they will not make the next rent payment. Their kids never get to go to Disney World or to the beach because Dad and Mom are using every hour to try to find jobs to pay the bills. A couple of hundred dollar bills might make all the difference to them.
The wealthy businessman's wife was putting on her coat with the mink collar. The evening service was over, and everyone was going out into the Michigan February night to rush to their can through the 0 degree F. temperature. The lady looked down, and there was a seven year old girl with nothing to warm her but a cheap sweater. Her Mom had on a wrap but not a real coat. The lady was jolted. She said to the Mom, "Does she have a coat? It is zero outside." The Mom said they would run to the car fast and not notice the cold. The lady said, "Bring her around to my home tomorrow morning. We will go buy her a winter coat."
I saw this as a bystander, and I had to wipe a tear away. This was Jesus in a rich lady who was obeying his instruction for anyone who really wanted to follow him. No judgment. No stupid advice. No Karen nagging. But, action, inspired by love.
When I see my brother in Christ, or his kid, in need, some of what God has given me is at once to be used to meet that need. To cling to my blessings at that point could bring down the wrath of God on me. If nothing else, I will not ever feel the supreme satisfaction of having done what Jesus would do.
And, the guy sitting on the bench outside of IHOP..... It turned out that he had a son down the street who was hungry. When my friend ordered a meal to go and took it outside to him, he at once rushed off to go share it with his son.
Here is how it works in Norway?
