I was musing some things in my pre-class moments, and a little during class. The thought came to me: "Why should we care for the poor?"
It's a noble thing, a nice thing, perhaps even a humane thing. But we does God so strongly instruct us to care for the poor; and the widows? (And orphans).
Then my teacher said something that struck a chord. He was discussing the history of the United States and how the poor got poorer, and the rich got richer. He, in someway, said the system was set up so that people could, by their efforts, get higher up in the world. They couldn't just sit on their bum all day and get richer. They got the fruits of their labor: work a lot, get paid a lot, get richer. And the opposite holds true. He then explained how this one guy was different from the other millionaires, in that he would work hard to get money, but then use the money for greater purposes. Feeding the poor, helping the needy, etc. Because of the fact that sometimes--or often times--working hard doesn't pay off. Poor people get into debt, work really hard, but can't pay things off in time before interest sets in and they owe more money.
That's when thoughts connected for me. That's why God wants us to care for the poor. Because they do the best they can, and yet remain poor and needy. We might have to become "poor" so the poor can be rich.
God wants us to care for the poor because it is a picture of His relationship with us.
We are poor and needy; He is rich and wealthy. We can do nothing to get out of debt because the interest keeps adding up. We work, work, and work harder and nothing can make us richer. Therefore, God came and became poor so we can become rich. ("For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich." --2 Cor. 8:9)
It's a noble thing, a nice thing, perhaps even a humane thing. But we does God so strongly instruct us to care for the poor; and the widows? (And orphans).
Then my teacher said something that struck a chord. He was discussing the history of the United States and how the poor got poorer, and the rich got richer. He, in someway, said the system was set up so that people could, by their efforts, get higher up in the world. They couldn't just sit on their bum all day and get richer. They got the fruits of their labor: work a lot, get paid a lot, get richer. And the opposite holds true. He then explained how this one guy was different from the other millionaires, in that he would work hard to get money, but then use the money for greater purposes. Feeding the poor, helping the needy, etc. Because of the fact that sometimes--or often times--working hard doesn't pay off. Poor people get into debt, work really hard, but can't pay things off in time before interest sets in and they owe more money.
That's when thoughts connected for me. That's why God wants us to care for the poor. Because they do the best they can, and yet remain poor and needy. We might have to become "poor" so the poor can be rich.
God wants us to care for the poor because it is a picture of His relationship with us.
We are poor and needy; He is rich and wealthy. We can do nothing to get out of debt because the interest keeps adding up. We work, work, and work harder and nothing can make us richer. Therefore, God came and became poor so we can become rich. ("For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich." --2 Cor. 8:9)
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