Helping the Needy and Strangers

 Many people are stingy, so they will not help others in need. Others tend to feel superior to those who are needy, and they think that they should be able to take care of themselves, so they do not help them. The Lord doesn't want us to think in these ways or any other ways that would keep us from helping the needy and strangers.

God gave Israel a command about this. (Leviticus 19:10) They were not to glean their vinyards or gather the fallen grapes in their vinyards. Instead they were to leave them for the needy and strangers. He was the Lord and that is what they were to practice. Just think about this for a minute.

Even Jesus said that we would have the poor with us always. So, we are to consider them as valuable people made in God's image. We are to have compassion for them in their need, so that we do not close our hearts to them. In fact, James even tells us that if all we do is say we will pray for them, we are not doing right.

We need to think about how the Lord would have us to care for the needy and strangers around us. We probably don't have crops to share, but we do have other things to share and ways to help them up. Yes, they still need to work and do their best to take care of themselves, too. However, let's treat them with love and respect in every way.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Leviticus 23-25.