'Indy Timeline' of Upcoming Events How To Help The Poor Without Hurting Them... Or Us.
by Dr. Brian Fickert, Exec. Dir, Chalmers Center[ht: Loving Our Communities To Christ]
We’ve all been in this situation: A poorly dressed person approaches our church asking for help with buying groceries. We want to help out, but how? If we give them money, perhaps they will waste it. And if we take the time to go to the grocery store with them, what will prevent them from needing help again in about a week or two? Many of us have a sense that our efforts to help the poor often fail to bring any lasting improvement. But the situation is often worse than we may imagine: Our efforts to help...
[continued at Chalmers Center]
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posted by IndyChristian @ 8:43 AM
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I look forward with eager anticipation to reading the rest of your article series. Here are my thoughts: Jesus told us that the poor would be with us always and whenever we want to do good to them,we could. I wonder that our primary understanding of that scripture includes what it means to be "good" to them? In other words, do those of us who have been chosen by God to steward riches in this world, pray each and every time by ourselves asking God: "Lord, what would you have me do for this child of God.?" You see, we are all poor in some sense of the word evry day of our lives. None of what we have belongs to us; we did not "earn" it. And that is the fundamental departure point many of us need to recognize. So let me state it again for my reminder and for yours: None of us brought anything into this world and we will not take anything away from it. We are stewards of what belongs to God. So shouldn't we being asking Him how He wants his belongings dispersed? Also, those who are poor, whether of their own "making" or even from our greed and lifestyle are serving God's purpose as His chosen instruments to develop compassion in us, yes, even those we may deem as "prodigals", wastrals, ne'er do wells, etc. Who are we to judge those less fortunate than we? Are we here to help in God making disciples, and populating the kingdom or are we here to build our own "kingdom" with our own ideas and methods? You see we come back again to what Jesus said: "The poor will be with you always." He said that for a reason. Anyone one of us could find ourselves in the same postion tomorrow. And when we do, I can guarentee you, having gone through it many times from personal experience, it is not by programs that a person is lifted out of poverty (as if it was a sin) but by the grace and mercy of God. The same grace and mercy those who are nt rich in this world's riches need. Please hear me, dear brothers and sisters, please let us remember that, and not shut the door of our tender compassion on those whose doors of opportunity may have been shut by God for a log time as a testing or who have been subjected to some futility in their lives that we may never fully understand. We are not here to make them in our image. We are here to love and be loved. Let God deal with them as we have done our part. Let us help and not get weary as long as God allows us the privilege of doing so. We get weary when we place our focus on the wrong direction: what we "think" we own, rather than God. Remember what Jesus told the rich young ruler that grieved this young man's heart so: "Sell all that you have and give it to the poor and come follow me." (Mark 10:21) I echo Jesus words to the rich young man: I feel love for you, too. So let me just say this: We are not giving what belongs to us. We are giving what belongs to Him, one person at a time, one situation at a time under our Heavenly Father's loving guidance. Rev. 11:1 Thank you for your patience and reading what I felt burdened to write.
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