Question 1

Does God really care about the poor?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 35:10“Who else rescues the helpless from the strong? Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?”Psalm 40:17As for me, since I am poor and needy, let the Lord keep me in his thoughts. You are my helper and my savior. O my God, do not delay.Psalm 72:12He [God] will rescue the poor when they cry to him; he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them.Psalm 102:17He [the Lord] will listen to the prayers of the destitute. He will not reject their pleas.Psalm 113:6-8He [the Lord] stoops to look down on heaven and on earth. He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes.Isaiah 25:4You are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord, a tower of refuge to the needy in distress. You are a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat. For the oppressive acts of ruthless people are like a storm beating against a wall.Hebrews 13:5Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”God cares deeply for the poor. He commands all believers to care for them, too. One test of godliness is your care for the poor. If you are poor, suffering from a crippling disease, grieving over the loss of a loved one, lonely or abandoned, or living in constant danger, your greatest hope as a believer is that this condition is temporary. God promises that for all eternity you will be free from all trouble when you live with him in heaven. While you may not understand why some people seem to get all the breaks on earth, God assures you that those who love him will get all the breaks for eternity.Luke 1:52-53“He [the Mighty One] has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.”Someday God’s perfect plans will be fully accomplished. When Jesus returns, all wrongs will be made right and the hungry will be fed; and those whose greed caused hunger to others will be judged.

Question 2

What is my responsibility to the poor?

Accepted Answer

Leviticus 25:39“If one of your fellow Israelites falls into poverty and is forced to sell himself to you, do not treat him as a slave.”Proverbs 19:17If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—and he will repay you!Proverbs 22:9Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor.Isaiah 58:10Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.Matthew 7:12“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”James 2:1-9My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? . . .If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives? . . . Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? . . . if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin.God shows compassion for the poor, so if you want to be more like God, you must do the same. And compassion that does not draw from your bank account or demonstrate itself in real action is philosophical compassion only, not godly compassion. Remember that helping the poor is not merely an obligation. It is a privilege, which not only brings great joy but also brings rewards from God himself.Leviticus 19:9-10“When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. It is the same with your grape crop—do not strip every last bunch of grapes from the vines, and do not pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. Leave them for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the Lord your God.”Throughout the Bible God watches out for the poor and urges us to do the same. In these verses, God instructs farmers to leave some grain and fruit in their fields after the harvest so the poor can come to find food. This law probably saved the lives of Ruth and Naomi (read Ruth 2:1-3). What can you leave for the poor from your abundance? It is everyone’s responsibility to care for the less fortunate. It is a practical and essential way to demonstrate your faith in everyday life.Luke 16:22-23“Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried, and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.”In Jesus’ day, many religious leaders taught that wealth was proof of God’s favor and a sign of a person’s righteousness. Jesus surprised them with this story of a beggar who was blessed in the next life while the rich man was punished. Through faith in Jesus, those who suffer in this life will experience the full grace of God and vindication in heaven. This is part of our ultimate redemption, but it will not happen apart from faith in Jesus. This fact of heavenly vindication does not excuse any of us from caring for the needs of the poor whenever and wherever we can. We will not be able to help everyone, but we are to minister to those “at our gate” who we learn are needy.Matthew 25:31-46“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”Jesus made it very clear that when we show love to other people by meeting their needs, we are actually loving and serving Jesus himself. As we become more sensitive and compassionate in our service of the poor around us, Jesus will always respond with delight over what we have done.

Question 3

How does showing compassion for the poor illustrate what Christ has done for us?

Accepted Answer

2 Corinthians 8:9You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.Philippians 2:5-11You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.Jesus Christ emptied himself of heaven’s riches to come to earth to be born as a human baby. He became poor in every way. He chose to live simply and not in great wealth or prestige. He died a criminal’s death so that we might inherit the vast riches of eternal life. We are called to have the same attitude that Christ had.

Question 4

Does God care that I’m poor?

Accepted Answer

Isaiah 25:4You are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord, a tower of refuge to the needy in distress. You are a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat.Hebrews 13:5Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”Romans 8:35-37Does it mean he [God] no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? . . . No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.The Bible states often that God has a special concern for the poor. So don’t accept the identity of a victim or convince yourself that there is no hope. No matter what your circumstances, God is with you. God is not necessarily in the business of making us rich or poor, but he is in the business of helping us all—rich or poor—walk with him through all life’s difficulties.

Question 5

So how do I deal with poverty in my own life?

Accepted Answer

Philippians 4:10-14How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.1 Timothy 6:6-10True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.Whatever our experience of poverty, we should look at our present circumstances as Paul did his, as an opportunity to learn contentment. Paul discovered that contentment can be a default attitude in our lives no matter what our circumstances. If we believe we can experience contentment only after our circumstances improve, then we will likely never experience contentment. Since contentment ultimately flows out of our relationship with God, it is possible to be content whether we have less than enough, just barely enough, or more than enough.

Poverty