I am reminded of several scriptures to help the poor and needy today. The other day as my husband and I were walking across the parking lot from the church to our home, a middle-aged man on a bicycle stopped and asked us if we were with the church. We said yes. He introduced himself and asked if we could spare him any food and water. I was immediately reminded of the verse Mark 9:41 which says, "For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward." Immediately we said "sure, let us go see what we can find for you!" Then immediately horrible thoughts entered my human brain. "We don't have much money either, I hope he doesn't get into the habit and come by and ask us every day, as we can barely afford food for ourselves right now. Then I remembered Proverb 31:20, "She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy." I thought to myself, "okay, the Lord is using us to reach out to this man, who needs our help. We have plenty, and are obviously not starving. It's a way of ministering to him and we can invite him to church too." Well I filled up a gallon jug with water, Adam heated up some biscuits and gravy we had made that morning for breakfast, we picked a banana. We also had an extra loaf of bread that we were not going to use (it was buy one get one free this week at the grocery store.) We took it over to him and he asked if we had any soda because his blood sugar was low. I said "No, sorry." He asked if we could spare him 75 cents for a soda. We said "Okay." and started to come inside. He hollered at us and asked if my husband had an extra shirt he could give him because the one he was wearing was pretty worn out. My husband said he would check. Well, at this point, I was thinking, "what else is he going to....WAIT....we are ministering to him...nothing we have is our own anyway...it all belongs to God....and He provides us with more than we really need." So we managed to scrounge up a dollar for him from our change bucket, which is often empty as we dont' use cash much. We weren't able to come up with a shirt for him, simply because my husband only has a few T-shirts to begin with and his white shirts were all in the washing machine. He was wearing the only other one he has, and the rest of his shirts are long sleeve dress shirts that that man would've swam in. (Sorry, Adam if you're reading this...I'm not meaning that you're fat, honey love!..lol) The man was grateful for what we had given him. He gave us the loaf of bread back because he didn't want to waste it. We insisted that we would probably just waste it too because we had another loaf inside. He still wanted us to keep it. He asked if there were any work he could do for us in exchange for the stuff we'd given. We said no, talked to him a minute about church and invited him, and told him if there was anything he needed, to let us know. We didn't do this for our glory, we did it to turn someone else's focus to God for a moment in hopes that he would catch a glimpse of our Provider and Savior. God provides for us. Philippians 4:19 states, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." and sometimes uses us to provide for others. Matthew 6:31-32 says, "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek: for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."
I was also just reminded of the bible story in I Kings 17 about Elijah and the widow woman. God chose a widow woman to take care of Elijah's needs. Not a rich man (although, anyone who has Christ as Savior is already rich..we have all we ever need...and..we even have a deed to a mansion in Heaven...how neat is that?) She gave ALL she had, but God blessed her and provided for her and showed her AND Elijah His greatness! Here is the scriptures of the story I just mentioned about Elijah and the widow woman. Think about it, and remember to seek opportunities that God may use you in this way to reach people with His light!
I Kings 17
" 1And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
2And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
3Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
4And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
5So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
6And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.
7And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
8And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
9Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
10So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
11And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
12And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
13And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
14For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
15And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
16And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.
17And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.
18And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?
19And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.
20And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?
21And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.
22And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.
23And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.
24And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth."
