God blesses you to bless others, especially the poor!

“‘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.'” (Deut. 15:11 NASB)

The poor family

In the 1950’s, I lived in the small community of Alton, California, next to the railroad tracks. From my front door I watched trains rumble by many times a day. I would often count freight train cars as well as the number of hobos riding along on them. It was not unusual to count as many as fifty or more hobos per train. Many times, the trains would stop to switch cars, taking some off and putting some on and hobos would also get off and get on there. One day an entire family got off and set up camp at the end of a dead-end street near where I lived. Soon, I got to know the children. They were different than most of my friends; they were poorly dressed and looked dirty most of the time. They kept mainly to themselves and didn't smile, play, or laugh much. When school started in the Fall, they got on the school bus with the rest of us. One day, one of them, a little girl of about 10, suddenly fainted at school. She was taken to the office and when asked what was wrong, she said, “it isn't my turn to eat today”. The school immediately arranged for the children in that family to have free lunches at school every day and when they got their trays of food, they sat quietly and ate every bite. Before meeting these children, I had never seen such poverty.

We must help the poor

"If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.” (Deut. 15:7-8 NASB)

Give some of what you produce to the needy

“When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. I am the LORD your God.'" (Lev. 23:22 NASB)

When you help the poor, you're helping Jesus!

“Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'” (Matt. 25:37 NASB)

When you give to the poor, you’re “lending to God”

“If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD--and he will repay you!” (Prov. 19:17 NLT)