Blessed
is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.
The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon
the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
Psalm
41:1
This verse
taken from the 41st psalm sheds light on the heart we must have as a
Christian… This is not to say that we must allow ourselves to be used and
manipulated, but to say that we must not set our priorities on material things…
In reading this passage I instantly think about the right young ruler which
encounter Jesus in the gospel of Mark… He declared that he had conducted his
life according to the book of the law; however, when Jesus declared for him to
give away his prized possessions there was a sadness that came upon him… Mark
10: 17 – 22 says, “17As He
was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt
before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit
eternal life?” 18 And
Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments, ‘ Do
not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor
your father and mother.’” 20 And he
said to Him, “Teacher, I have keptall these things from my youth up.” 21 Looking
at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and
sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in
heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But at
these words [a]he was
saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.” Understand today that this rich young ruller was on the cusp
of salvation; however, the way he cherished material things led him to leave
the company of Jesus… In reading this, a question now arises; how hard is it
for you to give (even if it’s your last)…? This is something that I think all
of us may answer one way; however, when faced with the situation our actions
may speak differently… As a child of God we are called to walk by faith and
it’s imperative that we understand that this faith is displayed through our
actions and not mere words… Faith is total trust, confidence and reliance in a
person, spirit or object… When we place our confidence in Jesus Christ we can
give to the needy even if it is our last knowing and believing that the
psalmist is right in today’s focus verse declaring that we will be “blessed…”
Paul (a New Testament servant of the Lord) dealt with great trials and
tribulations as he worked within the will of God… During his greatest need, the
church of Philippi kingdom
of God
This is a
great testament to our faith because if we are solely dependant on God, than we
can extend a helping hand in the time of need without hesitation… Often times
we make mention to the faith we have or we hear someone utter a message to us
concerning their faith… Today we are
reminded that words are exactly what they are, “words…” The psalmist says
that those who consider the poor are blessed, to consider is to think about or
feel for… How often do we overlook the poor of this world? How often do we
bypass areas of need within our society or household? God will take care of
you, but you must believe that (have faith) and demonstrate it by looking out
for others… A lot of time we attribute “being poor” to lacking monetary
stability; however, someone who is poor simply is lacking period… A rich man
may not be poor monetarily, but they can be poor in spirit, relationships,
emotions and mentality… There are many people that we come across daily who
aren’t carrying a sign begging for a handout, but that are poor when it comes
to knowing Christ… The bible says that Faith cometh by hearing; we are called
to demonstrate the faith that we have by allowing the light that God has placed
within us to shine… The psalmist declares that the Lord will preserve you and
keep you alive… Sure you will have people mock you, you will have people that
will try to belittle your desire to follow Christ, but you must understand that
it is only by walking in the love of God that you can and will experience His
power and might… James teaches us in His book that “Faith without works is
dead…” Prior to those words, He tells us to show me your faith without
works and I will show you my faith by what I do… In this book he also ask
the question, “what good is it if we see a many hungry and tell him go and be
well fed instead of trying to satisfy his hunger with our food…” Faith is not
something talked about, it’s shown and displayed for all to see… As the
psalmist reveals to us today, we are promised to be delivered from the hand of
the enemy; we are promised to be preserved, we are promised to be set free from
trouble… God has made many promises that He will keep, but the question posed
today is, do you really believe the promises that He has made… If you do, you
will walk humbly according the word and will of God, you will trust Him in
times of despair and you will sacrifice of yourself to lend a helping hand to
others… The proof is in the pudding… In order to receive you must give and this
rule of thumb applies to our walk with God… Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at
the door and knock…” He is waiting for you to answer today… God promises to
bless you and keep you, but you must open up your hand and let go of the things
you are currently holding on too (walk by faith)…. I was once told a (n) empty
hand is a poor hand… The psalmist teaches us a different way to view that hand
today… A (n) empty hand isn’t poor; its just waiting for God’s blessing to
arrive… One of my favorite quotes is from Erma Bombeck who said, "When
I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a
single bit of talent left, and could say, I used everything you gave me".
BE BLESSED!!!
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