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.

GIVE AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU

Proclamation:

“Give, and it will be given to you … For the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  Luke 6:38 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of Jesus, The Christ, which He spoke during His Sermon on The Mount as recorded under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by Luke, the physician and frequent traveling companion of the Apostle Paul.  Jesus told them that as they gave to others, it would be given to them the same way.  They would receive a good measure, “… pressed down, shaken together and running over …”  A heaping measure, as much as the measuring cup could hold, would be given to them if they were equally generous to the indigent people in need.  If they were not generous with others, then The Lord God would not be generous with them.

Application:

Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35)  It is good to be blessed, but it is even better to be a blessing to others.  Giving someone money is not the only way that we can bless them.  As the saying goes, giving a hungry man some food is a blessing to him, but teaching him how to fish and cook it can bless him for the rest of his life.  If you want to receive more blessings, try giving more blessings to others.  Be a blessing to someone and you will receive a blessing.  All that we have received was not meant for us to keep for ourselves, some of it was for us to share with others.  Remember what The Bible says about the rich man and Lazarus, the beggar who sat outside of the rich man’s gate. (Luke 16:19-31)  Apart from our money, most of us place too much importance upon our words.  We think that what we have to say is a blessing to those that hear it.  While it is possible to bless someone by what we say, what we do for them is usually much more of a blessing than what we say to them.  Our actions speak much louder than our words.  That which we have but are not using could be a blessing to others.  The time spent caring for others, visiting the sick or the incarcerated, could be a blessing to them.  The Apostle Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to you.” (Acts 3:6)  However, if you do have silver or gold or money, it is okay to share that also.  When we give to the less fortunate, we are lending it to The Lord God, and He will repay us. (Proverbs 19:17)  "Give, and it shall be given unto you..." (Luke 6:38)

GIVE TO THE POOR LEND TO THE LORD

Proclamation:

“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to The Lord, and He will reward them for what they have done.” Proverbs 19:17  The King James version of The Bible reads: “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto The Lord; and that which he hath given He will pay him again.”

Explanation:

King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, wrote these words under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Solomon told the people that charity is a principal of good heart.  It is charity to do for the poor.  That shows compassion, concern and sympathy for the less fortunate.  Solomon also encouraged the people to be charitable.  He told them that giving to the poor is the same as lending to The Lord.  That which is given to the poor, The Lord God will place it to the account as lent to Him and He will repay it with interest.

Application:

As Christians, we should be kind to those who are less fortunate than we are.  All of the blessings that we receive were not meant for us to keep to ourselves.  We are to pass them on and share them with others.  Remember the rich man who would not share anything with the beggar Lazarus who sat outside his gates. (Luke 16: 19-31)  That selfish rich man ended up spending eternity in hell.  The Bible says that blessed are those who have compassion for the poor, The Lord will deliver him out of trouble, preserve him and keep him alive, and heal him when he is sick. (Psalm 41 1:1-3)  The Lord looks upon us as if we treat Him the same way that we treat the poor. (Matthew 25:40)  The Lord keeps a record of how we treat the poor and what we give to them.  He treats that which we gave to them as a debt which He has to repay.  And, when He repays us He pays the debt in full, plus interest.  We get more from God than we give to the poor.  We are abundantly blessed for being a blessing to the poor because The Lord repays us.

Have Compassion For The Needy

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.' "  Matthew 25:40 (NIV)

These are the words of Jesus, The Christ, recorded by the Apostle Matthew, the former tax collector, as He spoke to His disciples regarding the parable of the sheep and the goats. (Matthew 25:31-46)  He told them that when the time is come, He will separate people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. (Matthew 25:32-33)  He will direct the righteous to His right side, and the non-believers to his left.  The righteous He will tell to come and claim their inheritance as their reward for how they treated Him. (Matthew 25:34-36)  Then they will ask Him, when did we treat you that way, and His reply will be, as you did it for the least of these, My brothers, you did it for Me. (Matthew 25:37-40)

It is clear that Jesus regards our treatment of the least of the believers as if we had done it to Him.  Who are the least of His brothers?  They are the hungry, the thirsty, those in need of clothing, the sick, and those who are incarcerated.  When we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, give clothing to those in need, care for the sick, and visit the incarcerated, in His eyes we are doing it to Him.  We should be very careful in the way that we treat people, especially the down and out.  We are blessed in order to be a blessing to others. (Proverbs 11:25)  It is possible that we may encounter an angel and not be aware of it. (Hebrews 13:1-3)

God Will Remember And Reward Our Work

"God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them."  Hebrews 6:10 (NIV)

The unknown author of The Book of Hebrews was writing to the scattered believers after the death of Christ, in order to encourage them to hold on and keep the faith.  He told them that God would not forget what they had done in His name, and that they would be rewarded.

Believers know that God sees all that we do (Proverbs 5:21), hears all that we say (John 9:31 and 1 John 5:14), and knows all of our thoughts (Psalms 94:11) and intentions (Psalms 19:14).  He does not forget anything, He just chooses not to remember our sins which have been forgiven. (Jeremiah 31:34, Hebrews 8:12, and Hebrews 10:17)  Our Heavenly Father will remember all of the work that we do in His name, and all of the help that we give to the poor.  Our efforts will be rewarded and we will inherit the promises of God. (Hebrews 6:12)

Give And Share What You hve

"Then Peter said, 'Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you.  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."  Acts 3:6 (NIV)

According to The Holy Spirit inspired word written by Luke, the physician and frequent travelling companion of the Apostle Paul, as Peter and John were about to enter the temple they encountered a beggar, crippled from birth, who asked them for money.  Peter told the man that they did not have silver, or gold, or money, but that which they did have they would give to him.  What they had was the power of healing by The Holy Spirit of God, and they shared that with him and healed him.

Gifts of money are almost always appreciated, but giving and sharing is not always about money.  A gift of our time or a gift of our talent can also be a help to someone who is alone or in need.  When we share our knowledge and wisdom with others we can also be helpful.  Often giving a kind word, or a hug, or a shoulder to cry on, is more helpful, considerate, and compassionate than a monetary gift.  Jesus said that it is better to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35)  The strong are to help the weak. (Romans 15:1)  Those who are blessed to have are to share with those who have not. (Luke 16:19-31)  We are to give of such as we have, and we are to share it with those who are less fortunate.

Give To The Poor And Be Blessed

"He who is kind to the poor lends to The LORD, and He will reward him for what he has done."  Proverbs 19:17 (NIV)  The King James version of The Bible reads: "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)

Under the inspiration of The Holy Spirit of God, King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live (1 Kings 4:30 and 2 Chronicles 1:11-12), wrote these words to the people of God.  He told them that he who gives to the poor is actually lending to The Lord God, and He will repay him.

We are encouraged to give to the poor and the needy. (Matthew 19:21, Mark 10:21, Luke 11:41, Luke 12:33, and Luke 18:22)  In fact, there are special blessings in store for those who give to the poor. (Psalms 41:1)  The Lord God will protect them, preserve their life, and sustain them when they are sick, and He will restore them to good health. (Psalms 41:2-3)  If we give, then it shall be given unto us. (Luke 6:38)  We are blessed in order to be a blessing to others. (Proverbs 11:25)  If we give to those who are in need, The Lord will bless us.  Jesus said that as we treat the less fortunate, we are doing the same thing to Him. (Matthew 25:40)

Be Generous And Prosper Bless And Be Blessed

"One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.  A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."  Proverbs 11:24-25 (NIV)

King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, (1 Kings 4:29-30), said that he who gives, will gain, and he that hordes, will lose what he has.  Those who are generous with others will prosper.  He also said that he who blesses others, shall himself be blessed.

The Bible says, give, and it shall be given unto you. (Luke 6:38)  When we give to help the poor, we are actually lending to The Lord God, and it is He shall repay us for giving. (Proverbs 19:17)  Remember the Bible story about the rich man and the poor beggar man named Lazarus who sat outside his gates.  When they both died, their roles were reversed. (Luke 16:19-31)  We are blessed so that we can be a blessing to others. Christ said that it is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35)  If we bless others, then we will also be blessed.  Let us make it a point to be a blessing to at least one person each day.  Let's practice random acts of kindness.