Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done. – Psalm 19:17
Well, you knew this was coming. This is about the homeless.
Jesus tells us through his actions and his words to take care of each other. The part we like to forget is the part where we take care of those who scare us or disgust us. The people we look down on because maybe they are not as successful in worldly ways as we are.
I used to carry cash all the time so that if I passed a homeless person I would have something to give them. A lot of times my friends or coworkers would freak out and say, “Well I don’t do that because what if he’s just gonna go buy drugs with it?”
… Or what if he’s going to go buy food, and that’s the first meal he’s had in days? What if he’s going to buy socks? What if he’s going, as one man I encountered, to buy a little bit of detergent to wash his clothes so he could see a man about a job?
What he’s going to do with the money is not our business.
Do you know what’s in Proverbs 31 besides the virtuous woman? A lot of people don’t. Here’s part of it.
“Let beer be for those who are perishing, wine for those who are in anguish! Let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more. Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” – Prov. 31:6-9
John the Baptist was homeless, and he ate grasshoppers. Would you notice him if he had stood on a street corner in front of you?
Jesus was homeless. He was on the streets his whole life. Would you have noticed him and his 12 ragtag friends if they were camped on the side of the interstate?
One of the most successful and talented psychologists I know was a homeless veteran before God intervened and he took his life back.
I know I quote it a lot, but don’t be afraid to entertain angels unaware. That takes a little bit of risk of maybe having to be nice to somebody who doesn’t smell good or who might be a little bit crazy.
You can’t outgive God. He’s going to pay back that loan. ❤️
