In this present society (I am talking about the USA)... the poor are many times quite different from what was represented in Bible days....and for that matter earlier in the last century.
Although we do have genuine poor folks..( people who through no fault of their own have found themselves destitute.) the vast majority of what we call poor are there because they choose to be there or are drug, and alcohol abusers, or just simply lazy.
They have developed a lifestyle of sponging off of others and a mentality of entitlement. They live in filth and do absolutely nothing to better their situation.
They commit crimes, major and petty and feel abused when convicted of such.
I personally have seen my income drop a lot this year....I have had to cut a lot of things out, and have wondered where the next electric payment was coming from.
At the first of the year I lost a job I was working (the company lost its contract) and several in the church i pastor lost jobs too...so consequently it became very hard.(we are doing better now..Thank the Lord)
However i do not consider myself poor...I have not asked for anything from anybody, I dont take food stamps or any welfare....and with the help of God I will not in the future.
But it seems like everywhere I go I see folks with their hands out who could do better but refuse to do so.
I do not feel that God expects me to give one red cent to the "poor" of that ilk....and I refuse to be pressured by the guilt trips that some try to give.
In my opinion there are 3 types of poor.
1. The genuine poor, there because of job loss, sickness or age, and they do need help...and are trying to pull themselves out of their situation.
2. The mentally ill...not a whole lot we can do for therm....they need professional help.
3. The slackers, bums, lazy folks who just want someone else to take care of them.....sorry but I refuse to do so.
This is the biggest lie I've ever seen propagated on this subject, and one that comes up quite often. It's a lie I once believed... that is, until I got involved in homeless research, studies about the poor and involved with lives in my own city. The statistics are to the contrary. Most of the poor in your city aren't the ones with a cardboard sign at your stoplight. Many have too much pride for that, but entire families living in a car, motel rooms a couple nights a week, etc.
Even then, drug and alcohol addictions are no joke and have victimized people who are image bearers of Jesus. Even if they are depressed with life, have no hope, and we call them lazy... they are image bearers of Jesus. Grace is not dispensed according to who is at fault, it's dispensed as we received it: unearned, freely, liberally.
This attitude of "they don't deserve it" comes from many people's attitude about their own salvation. I'm not sure they understand grace.
To those who hold "observant views," I highly encourage them to get intimately involved in their city --- either a juvenile system, a prison ministry, a homeless shelter, a recovery center... something. And by all means, take it on themselves to do some studies on poverty. Our level of poverty may not be as deep in terms of coin, but it's just as deep in terms of emptiness, hopelessness and despair.
Show me the 100 richest men in the world. Aside from our occasional rags to riches story, I will show you men who come from opportunity and wealth. Men who, thankfully, had parents who sacrificed to send them to the best schools, who guided them with vision, men and women who had parents, shelter, big dreams supported and never a thought otherwise. We may not have a literal caste system in America, but we definitely have an emotional one we have to overcome daily.
There was so much in your post that, if I was a brother involved in your life, I'd want to dig further past the argument and into what may be heart issues. "Ilk" "guilt trips" "not a whole lot we can do" So many red flagged words you mentioned. I encourage you to pray the prayer: "Break my heart for what breaks yours."
I know so many church groups that have bi-annual feed the homeless nights. While I'm pleased to see them out on the streets, their sense of dispensing grace and love is one more of religious sacrament. They are hands-off with the people. They refer to them as "bums" instead of souls and image bearers.
38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. 41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.
It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
So I'm encouraged and think we are moving in the right direction, even if not all hearts are doing it for the same reason. We can take care of that in community.
The majority of the Old Testament rebukes, judgements, laws and exhortations concerned God's compassion toward the poor, marginalized and disenfranchised.
The NT could not be clearer in the words of Jesus:
Quote:
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
In this present society (I am talking about the USA)... the poor are many times quite different from what was represented in Bible days....and for that matter earlier in the last century.
Although we do have genuine poor folks..( people who through no fault of their own have found themselves destitute.) the vast majority of what we call poor are there because they choose to be there or are drug, and alcohol abusers, or just simply lazy.
They have developed a lifestyle of sponging off of others and a mentality of entitlement. They live in filth and do absolutely nothing to better their situation.They commit crimes, major and petty and feel abused when convicted of such.
I personally have seen my income drop a lot this year....I have had to cut a lot of things out, and have wondered where the next electric payment was coming from.
At the first of the year I lost a job I was working (the company lost its contract) and several in the church i pastor lost jobs too...so consequently it became very hard.(we are doing better now..Thank the Lord)
However i do not consider myself poor...I have not asked for anything from anybody, I dont take food stamps or any welfare....and with the help of God I will not in the future.
But it seems like everywhere I go I see folks with their hands out who could do better but refuse to do so.
I do not feel that God expects me to give one red cent to the "poor" of that ilk....and I refuse to be pressured by the guilt trips that some try to give.
In my opinion there are 3 types of poor.
1. The genuine poor, there because of job loss, sickness or age, and they do need help...and are trying to pull themselves out of their situation.
2. The mentally ill...not a whole lot we can do for therm....they need professional help.
3. The slackers, bums, lazy folks who just want someone else to take care of them.....sorry but I refuse to do so.
Sir, do you live under a rock or something???? Go to our website www.riverbendfoodbank.org and read under the section under the myths of who the poor are.
15% of America is now "food insecure" They don't know where the groceries are coming from tomorrow. High rates of unemployment combined with rising rent/mortages light and gas bills medicines etc. that little or nothing left for groceries.
Many of the people we help are the eldery whose SS check does not go as far it needs to.
Many are children, who go to bed hungery. Mom's and Dad's combined paychecks just does stretch far enough.
Many children fear the weekend, depending on school lunches for their nutrtion.
Every Friday we distrubute to area schools a sack of meals to be sent home with children that are at risk. We call it the "back pack" program, because it is easily put in the back packs of these kids to be taken home to get them thru the weekend.
Everyday at our food bank I work with churches of just about every "brand", that operate food pantries for their nieghborhoods. There is one "brand" that I have not met yet at our food bank. I'll let you guess which "brand" that is.
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God has lavished his love upon me.
In this present society (I am talking about the USA)... the poor are many times quite different from what was represented in Bible days....and for that matter earlier in the last century.
Although we do have genuine poor folks..( people who through no fault of their own have found themselves destitute.) the vast majority of what we call poor are there because they choose to be there or are drug, and alcohol abusers, or just simply lazy.
They have developed a lifestyle of sponging off of others and a mentality of entitlement. They live in filth and do absolutely nothing to better their situation.
They commit crimes, major and petty and feel abused when convicted of such.
I personally have seen my income drop a lot this year....I have had to cut a lot of things out, and have wondered where the next electric payment was coming from.
At the first of the year I lost a job I was working (the company lost its contract) and several in the church i pastor lost jobs too...so consequently it became very hard.(we are doing better now..Thank the Lord)
However i do not consider myself poor...I have not asked for anything from anybody, I dont take food stamps or any welfare....and with the help of God I will not in the future.
But it seems like everywhere I go I see folks with their hands out who could do better but refuse to do so.
I do not feel that God expects me to give one red cent to the "poor" of that ilk....and I refuse to be pressured by the guilt trips that some try to give.
In my opinion there are 3 types of poor.
1. The genuine poor, there because of job loss, sickness or age, and they do need help...and are trying to pull themselves out of their situation.
2. The mentally ill...not a whole lot we can do for therm....they need professional help.
3. The slackers, bums, lazy folks who just want someone else to take care of them.....sorry but I refuse to do so.
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