Poor and Needy

He will spare the poor and needy,
And will save the souls of the needy.
He will redeem their life from oppression.
(Psalms 72:13-14 NKJV)

And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. (Mark 6:34 NKJV)

"Then the King will say, '... Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' " (Matthew 25:34,40 NKJV)

Jesus looked upon the poor and needy and responded to their hunger. He occasionally fed people with bread. More often, He fed them with words of life. The needs of the human soul exceed those of the human body.

We encounter most often not the poverty-stricken but the poor and needy—people we identify as social outcasts due to unattractive appearance or behavior. Accustomed to being invisible, they rarely make eye contact. If seen at all, it is not their faces but their exterior (whether nerdy or promiscuous, gang-banger or vulnerable) which is noticed.

The only handout many of them need is validation as a human being. It takes brief seconds of eye contact and a smile as they pass. A kind word. A pleasant demeanor in an unpleasant situation. It costs nothing, and gives much.

Lord Jesus, in Your goodness You have given to us more than we might have ever asked, and You love us without restraint. Please enable us to see the image of the Creator in the face of each person. Please speak to our hearts and show us how to extend Your love to anyone.

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Copyright 2008, Anne Lang Bundy