Archive for the 'Bible Studies for Life' Category
Being Ready to Help the Poor
What thoughts come to mind when you see a person begging on a street? “Get a job”? “I can’t give him money because he’ll only buy alcohol”? “The Bible says if a man does not work, he should not eat”? All of these are common responses, but are these the right responses?
Questions
What thoughts come to mind when you hear news stories about poor families on government assistance? Does scripture come to mind, or political positions? Are we concerned about the plight of their children, or silently condemn the adults for not becoming more educated? Does the daily news roundup make us angry about tax dollars or do we become burdened over hurting people?
The Bible and the poor
The Bible has a lot to say about helping the poor. The ancient Israelites were to cancel debts every seven years (Deut. 15:7-11), vineyard owners were to leave grapes for the poor during harvest time (Lev. 19:10), Jesus preached to the poor (Luke 4:18), affirmed helping the poor (Matt. 26:11), and the early church received offerings for the poor (2 Corinthians 8:3, 4). The kingdom of God is built on the principle of helping others.
Let me tell you a story
This past summer, I made a trip to the Texas border. This trip reminded me of the great need to help the poor in every way. Whether people are immigrants or already living here, we need to help them. I also preached a sermon on the Bible and immigration which may give you some insights not only on immigration, but also actions toward the poor.
Our own Cross Church ministry, Compassion Center, is committed to not only minister to the poor, but also the immigrant. We believe it is very important to live out our faith in this way.
Generosity and giving are matters of the heart and hands
Generosity is a matter of the heart. Giving is a matter of our hands. We need both. Chip Ingram writes in Bible Studies for Life, “The heart has everything to do with attitude, and the hand has everything to do with action. The heart is about belief, and the hand is about behavior.”1 This is absolutely correct. Heart and hand must be connected when helping the poor is concerned.
Sometimes we do “good deeds” to curry favor with people. We “give” in order to get them to notice us, or give us something in return. But we need to give with no expectation of a return gift. This is the true indicator of a generous heart.
Giving is action
In the story of the Good Samaritan2, the traveler who finds a beaten man on the side of the road, the Samaritan uses his own resources to aid the wounded man. He provides oil from his own flask, and secures lodging at his own expense. He even promised the innkeeper to reimburse any extra expense the man incurred. His generous heart and giving hand likely saved the man’s life.
When we give, we exhibit the character of God who “gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.”3
We are never more like God than when we give. Give to the poor.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
General Editor, Bible Studies for Life
President, Southern Baptist Convention
1– Bible Studies for Life, Ready, Chip Ingram
2– Luke 10:30-37
3– John 3:16, HCSB
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
Ready to Stand Against Injustice
There is something about the activity of the Holy Spirit in the child of God that causes us to hate injustice. We know when things are not as they should be, when there is an affront to the righteousness of God. We know the poor should be neither ignored nor exploited, that human trafficking should be stopped, that abortion should not happen, and that orphans should not be stuck away in dirty, overcrowded buildings.
Injustice requires action
Injustice is an indicator that the kingdom of God is not fully come. Injustice indicates that His commands are not always obeyed. Injustice requires action from the people of God.
Scripture speaks numerous times as to God’s desire for justice:
“You must not follow a crowd in wrongdoing. Do not testify in a lawsuit and go along with a crowd to pervert justice.”1
“You should not deny justice to a poor person among you in his lawsuit.”2
“You must not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear sighted and corrupts the words of the righteous.”3
The writer of the 31st Proverb spoke of a way to address injustice: “Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed. Speak up, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the oppressed and needy.”4
Silence is not acceptable
Silence in the face of injustice, for those who follow Christ, is sinful. To put it another way, turning a blind eye to injustice allows it to continue. In our sin we allow others to continue in sin, and victims to continue suffering for it. Chip Ingram applies this to abortion, saying,
“Untold numbers of people deal with the guilt of knowing they participated in or supported an abortion. All these repercussions are sobering, and the gravity of the situation is magnified when we consider God’s response: ‘I will not justify the guilty’ [Ex. 23:7]. Those who contribute to the death of an innocent person become guilty themselves because of their unjust actions. God takes sin and injustice seriously.”5
Three actions Christians can take toward injustice
- Remain biblically informed. Search the scriptures for verses related to God’s standard of justice. Find out how God wants us to treat the poor, the vulnerable, the weak, the orphan, the widow, and the immigrant. There really is no excuse for the people of God to be ignorant of God’s mind on matters of injustice.
- Become socially informed. There is no shortage of news reports and websites dedicated to information about orphan care, human trafficking, how to fight abortion, how to help the poor, protecting children and other important issues. At the very least, we should know how to become involved, who to write or call, and how to make information available.
- Become prayerfully involved. Not everyone will sit in the Oval Office or speak with an ambassador, but that should never stop anyone from making phone calls or sending emails. Sometimes it only takes one rational voice with a strong argument to win the day.
Justice requires us to pray and act
We simply cannot sit by and wish or hope that things will get better. We cannot even pray without action. Justice requires that we pray and allow God to use us however He sees fit.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
General Editor, Bible Studies for Life
President, Southern Baptist Convention
1 Exodus 23:2
2 Exodus 23:3
3 Exodus 23:8
4 Proverbs 31:8, 9 (all verses HCSB)
5 Bible Studies for Life, Ready, Chip Ingram
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.