What should you do?
10The crowds asked, “What should we do?”
11John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” (Luke 3:10-11, The Life Application Bible)
Blessed Sunday family. Last week, while I was reading through the first chapters of the Gospel of Luke, John the Baptist’s exchange with the crowds really jumped out at me. Luke is the only historian to document John’s exchange with the crowd and what he tells them is a foreshadowing of the message Jesus would preach about caring for the poor and hungry, the widow and the orphan.
Then this morning, I was reading the news and read about the struggles of the Mayotte people. This French island country sits between Madagascar and Africa’s east coast. The people there are suffering from a six-year drought and dire shortages of freshwater. Despite being an island, with no good desalination plants operating, the people of this extremely poor country are suffering while the rest of the modern world keeps turning.
The plight of the poorest among us is nothing new. Poverty was around 2000 years ago when Jesus preached His ministry, setting strict standards for the expectations of His followers to help those in need. Even before that, Moses commanded the Israelites to care for the poor way back in Leviticus where Moses instructed the Levite priests: “If one of your fellow Israelites falls into poverty and cannot support himself, support him as you would a foreigner or a temporary resident and allow him to live with you.” (Leviticus 25:35). With the nation of Israel currently experiencing 21% of it’s population under the poverty line, they have not followed the guidelines God left for His “Chosen” people millennia ago.
So what should we do? I think the example Jesus left is clear: give often and give generously. Give so your left hand does not know what your right is handing out (Matthew 6:3). And do not give to boast or draw accolades for yourself. Your Father in Heaven sees your sacrifices (Matthew 6:4). As we approach the “giving season” find the local organizations in your community doing the most good, and support them in any way you can.
Common Sense Reborn 