Helping the Poor and Needy

“Open your hand willingly to your poor and needy brother in your land.” —Deuteronomy 15:11

Throughout Scripture we see God’s heart for the underserved and the overlooked, the weak and disenfranchised. It’s not our responsibility to solve everyone’s problems, but God calls us to be sensitive toward the plight of those He brings to our attention. And He wants us to demonstrate His kindness to them in practical ways.

Reaching out in kindness can be as simple as looking a panhandler in the eye and offering something without judging how they’ll spend it. It can involve asking a widow to sit with us at church or helping at a food pantry. But as God leads and we follow, the borders of our kindness may eventually reach far beyond our comfort zone.

In recent years, I’ve received joy through occasional involvement in a women’s prison ministry. The opportunity to offer the kindness of Christ to these women has reminded me that grace grows best in hard places. It has opened my heart to experience deeper streams of His kindness and blessing, often through the very women I’m reaching out to.