Singapore Moses Supporter Messenger of God, CEO in IT industry, Astronaut, Scientist

The wicked man ensnares himself by his own sins, but the righteous are always free to rejoice and sing.(Pro 29:6). The poor people may not experience Material blessings on this earth but that does not mean they are not righteous. And they are not wicked either. It talks about material (earthly)poverty but rich in spirituality. The righteous know and consider the poor, but the wicked make no attempt to know their needs. (Pro 29:7)

In Scripture, one famous example of the righteous poor is Ruth. Ruth was a Moabite woman who married into an Israelite family. When her husband died, she was given the option to return to her family. She chose to travel to Bethlehem with Naomi, her mother-in-law.
Ruth tells Naomi: Where you go, I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me and worse, if anything but death parts you and me. (Ruth 1:16-17).

Ruth is an incredible example of self-sacrifice. She was also so poor she needed to glean from fields owned by Boaz.You know the rest of the story. Ruth becomes part of the ancestral line of Jesus (Matthew 1:5).

Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury, for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had, her whole livelihood" (Mk 12:43,44). She was poor materially but rich spiritually. Others had more finance but she had more faith. God has chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith (Js 2:5).

Giving our substance to God is one of the most practical expressions of worship. "Money makes many things." "Money matters." These are the maxims of mankind regarding money. That's why the Bible warns us that the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Tim 6:10). Deliverance from the love of money is as good as the salvation of soul. It's a "temptation" to overcome, a "snare" to escape, a "foolishness" to avoid, a "harmful lust" to shun, a "destruction" to be dreaded, and a "perdition" to flee from (v9).

God gives us wealth and watches us how we use it. Jesus purposely sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into it (Mk 12:41). The Church records how much we give, but the Lord counts how much is kept back. When what we keep back becomes less and less we go higher and higher in the ladder of worship.

This truth was illustrated by the example of the Macedonian Christians. Their "deep poverty" abounded in the "riches of their liberality" (2 Cor 8:2). Commenting on this, Paul says, "They gave themselves to the Lord" (v5). Pure worship! Sacrificial giving — that is, giving beyond one's ability (v3)—by one member or one section of the Body of Christ invariably affects others causing more and more thanks- giving to God! (9:11,12). 

As we are living in last days, Christ himself advised NOT to offer money for our name sake. But donate money to the poor.No wonder God falls in love with those who give with cheerfulness and not by calculation (9:7).

"Dear Lord, however much I may sweat for You, it is nothing compared to even one drop of blood You have shed for me!"

November 09 2017 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Tim Maas Supporter Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

I would say that what is being expressed here is that the orientation of righteous individuals, because of the love for both God and their neighbor that characterizes their righteous state, will be concerned about the material and societal welfare of the disadvantaged. This concern, in turn, will motivate them to do what they can to alleviate whatever systemic inequities the poor may encounter in such areas as receiving equal justice and treatment in their daily lives.

By contrast, those whose lives are not characterized by such love will not have the same sensitivity to the plight of the poor, and will be unable to understand or appreciate the motivation or reasoning of those who do. They will be focused on their own needs and concerns with respect to the material world, irrespective of the effects of their actions on others, or the disparity between their own resources and the condition of the poor or less fortunate.

November 08 2017 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report