Seize the Moment – Day 637
Care of the Poor!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, December 14.
When different congregations come together as the one Church of Jesus Christ it is usually for the sake of children or the elderly, or for the care of the poor and hungry. Until God completes all things on Earth as it is in Heaven, congregations agree that the poor will be amongst us (Matthew 26:11) and we must do something to care for them, even if we can’t agree on how to alleviate their plight in a more sustainable way.
Deuteronomy 15 is the retelling of the Law for the Sabbath Year, or Sabbatical, which was to occur every seventh year for the sake of the poor and hungry. It was not only a time to let the land rest (Exodus 23:10-11), but to also cancel debts (Deuteronomy 15:2-11), and free indentured servants and slaves (12-18). Just like the Sabbath, which occurred once per week, the Sabbatical was a proclamation of God’s rescue from slavery. This was to be a blessing to all, while overtly a benefit to the poor and hungry in their midst, as we see in verses 10-11:
You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings. For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, “You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.”
God’s justice is deeply connected to the care of the widow and the orphan, the poor and the oppressed, the sick and the hungry. God loves you and wants to bless you; therefore, God wants you to join with Him in caring for those who can’t care for themselves.
Seize the moment and open your hand to the needy and the poor. Be God’s hands during this Christmas season.