For the Love of Us All

WITNESS

4-15-13

JESUS AND THE POOR

Jesus once said:

“The poor

You will always have with you

But you will

Not always have me”                                                                Matthew 26:11

Jesus made this comment

In reference to his disciples

Becoming indignant

When a woman

Poured expensive perfume on his head

And isn’t it the truth

The poor are everywhere

ASKING for a $ here

And a $ there

But MAKE NO MISTAKE

God and Jesus loved the poor

And do love the poor

“There will

ALWAYS be poor people in the land

Therefore I command you

To be openhanded

Toward your brothers and toward the poor

And needy in your land”                                                                  Deuteronomy 15:11

And sometimes

Those who are poor in wealth

ARE RICH IN FAITH

“Listen my dear brothers

Has not God chosen

Those who are poor

In the eyes of the world

To be rich in faith

And to inherit the kingdom

He promised those who love him”                                                           James 2:5

So I tell you

The poor have every bit

As much chance

As entering the kingdom of God

As me and you

Perhaps more than me and you

Jesus himself said,

“Go back

And report to John

What you hear and see

The blind receive sight

The lame walk

Those who have leprosy are cured

The dead are raised

And he good news

IS PREACHED to the poor

BLESSED is the man

Who does not fall away

On account of me”                                                                                   Matthew 11:4-6

And Jesus was not kidding

When he said,

“The POOR you will have always”

Poverty is defined

As a lack of the usual or socially acceptable amount

Of money or material possessions

(*for the record-I probably fall into that category*)

In November 2012

The U.S. Census Bureau

Said more than 16%

Of the population

LIVED in POVERTY in the United States

THE POOR YOU WILL HAVE ALWAYS

So the next time

You see a person asking for a $ or $2

GIVE it to them

While they may buy cigarettes or alcohol

They are just as likely to buy

A cup of coffee or nice hot meal

You may not love the poor

BUT GOD DOES

And he or she

MIGHT just turn out to be

Someone important

“For you know

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ

That though he was rich

Yet for our sake he became POOR

So that you-through his poverty

Might become rich”                                                                                  2 Corinthians 8:9

LOVE THE POOR

Jesus did

Robert P. Wallman

3-25-17

Ps       WITNESS        4-15-13