THE LORD WILL REPAY US FOR WHAT WE GIVE TO THE POOR

Proclamation:

“He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto The Lord; and that which he hath given will He pay him again.” Proverbs 19:17 (KJV)  “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to The Lord, and He will reward them for what they have done.” (NIV)  “One who is gracious to a poor man lends to The Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed. (NASB)

Explanation:

This proverb was written by King Solomon under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Here he states that a kindness shown to the poor, or whatever is given to the poor, is considered by The Lord God as being loaned to Him and He will repay the debt.  Remember, that though He was rich, Jesus, The Christ, left heaven and became poor for our sakes, so that we through His poverty might be rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)  Jesus said that He regards all that is done to and for the poor brethren as though it was done to Him. (Matthew 25:40)

Application:

Each of us encounters at least one poor person daily who is in need of assistance.  All too often we pass that person by without helping them.  This verse reminds us that Jesus regards this as our treatment of Him.  “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me … whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:35-40)  We need to be very careful how we treat to poor people that we encounter as we go about our daily activities.  We were blessed in order to be a blessing to others.  Most of us have more than enough and could share a little with the poor.  “Give, and it will be given to you.” (Luke 6:38)  Remember The Bible story about the rich man and the beggar. (Luke 16:19-31)  One day we believers will all have to give an account of our stewardship.