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Day 228 Proverbs 21:13 Proverbs 21:13 Whoso stops his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard. We have all seen them, the poor with signs begging for work so they can feed their families and themselves, the poor begging for handouts so they can live one more day knowing their needs are taken care of. We have seen them, but how often do we help them? When reading the Law of Moses, Solomon saw God’s heart for his people. God’s first command was to love God and love your neighbor as yourself. God made provision for his people, especially the poor, so their needs would also be met. God allowed the poor of the land to glean the harvest fields for their daily needs. God allowed the poor to be sold to fellow Israelites so they would have a place to live, food, and work, but they were to be set free in the Year of Jubilee. They might have been sold, but no one owned the poor. They were not slaves, they were fellow Israelites down on their luck, who needed some help so they could live from one day to the next. Solomon knew that if anyone did not help the poor, they would become just like them – poor and needy and nobody would pay attention to them because they did not help when they had the opportunity to do so. Leviticus 25:8 And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. 9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. 10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. 11 A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which grows of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed. 12 For it is the jubilee; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field. 13 In the year of this jubilee ye shall return every man unto his possession. 14 And if thou sell ought unto thy neighbor, or buy ought of thy neighbor’s hand, ye shall not oppress one another: 15 According to the number of years after the jubilee thou shalt buy of thy neighbor, and according unto the number of years of the fruits he shall sell unto thee: 16 According to the multitude of years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of years thou shalt diminish the price of it: for according to the number of the years of the fruits doth he sell unto thee. 17 Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the LORD your God. 18 Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety. 19 And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety. Opportunities abound to help poor people in your communities. Homeless shelters, food pantries, and job opportunities and the education to assist them to get a job. Every day you can help in these areas, making the life of just one person better. In Jesus’ command to go to the nations, teaching and baptizing, was not just to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, but to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. You are to teach the people what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ, and that means helping those in need. Teaching them how to make their lives better. Anybody can give people food and shelter, but when you teach people how to grow their own food, fish, and build homes, then you have taught them what the gospel of Jesus Christ really is: loving your neighbor as yourself. When you do that, you will see people ready to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ and his love for them by shedding his blood on Calvary’s cross. The gospel isn’t just words written on a page in your Bible, it is action. It is giving to those in need. It is showing them how to take care of themselves so they will be able to function daily. Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. When you live the gospel in front of people, God will honor you and bless you. When you live for yourself alone, you lose out on whatever blessing God has in store for you. Let’s pray: Father, help me give to those in need, not just with words, but with action, teaching them so they will be able to take care of themselves, knowing people do care about them. Help me to be a blessing to those around me, so that if anyone does not know you, they will see you in me and want to know you. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 25 April 2017 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay