Loan!

Loan!

Proverbs 19:17 AMPC

[17] He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and that which he has given He will repay to him.

The poor has always had a special place in the heart of God. In several places in the Bible starting with the instructions passed down by the man Moses to the people of Israel, we read of the special consideration that God expected the people to give to the poor. God hated the bad treatment of people simply due to their status in life, or what they had or did not have. As far as God was concerned, it is a privilege to have anything at all. There will be people we have met who are hardworking and industrious, yet it seems that they are still struggling to make ends meet. There are some who are still in the learning phase of life and its demands, and may still be struggling to connect the dots and lay hold of some things. How can I, who is of limited skill and knowledge of the plan and purpose of God for any life, make decisions based on such limited knowledge? 

If I do not know the full dimensions of God's plan for a life, I must be careful how I relate with that life, so I do not become a stumbling block to the faith of that person. This is why the message in the verse above is timely for our present generation. It is time to stop looking down on people based on what they have or do not have, and start looking at them from the perspective of who they could become in the hands of their Creator. I must know that the love of the Creator is greater than any other person. I cannot love anyone more than the God who created them, and He will watch out for their interests. Whatever I do to anyone regarded as poor, in God's eyes, is considered a loan, for which an interest is applied, and the principal sum also must be settled. Consider this: if God were to pay you back all that you do to other people with full interest, what would your balance sheet look like? 

If I am a child of God, my attitude, reception and treatment of people must reflect that very clear ownership. Available online sources also struggle to define being poor beyond 'not having enough money to meet basic needs including food, clothing and shelter.' This makes me also realise that anyone could be in that position, even temporarily, maybe due to a loss of job, or an investment gone bad. This could happen to anyone at anytime, and this is why the message in the verse above is timely for us today. God is Omniscient, and sees the hearts of all men and the motives behind whatever it is we do. Men may be moved by the size of the help, but God rewards men based on the size, depth and sincerity of their hearts for helping others. Just imagine what it looks like for God to be a debtor to you. The God who owns the heavens and the earth, and all their treasures. You would not want Him to also be a creditor to you based on your treatment of people. Make it a constant habit to help others; you have God's backing and He will definitely repay you for all you do. God's time of favour is here.