Who cares? You!

On a global scale, there's a huge gap between poor and rich people, and it's not too dissimilar in New Zealand. As followers of Jesus, giving our money and energy to help people in need is a great thing but more importantly, our giving is a pointer to God.

Firstly, when people see our generosity, they get a window into why we care for the world. Paul wrote that our giving will point people to praise God (see 2 Corinthians 9:13). General Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, said: 'How can you convince a man of the love of God if his feet are perishing with the cold?' Meeting people at their point of need is something Jesus did - for Booth, healing and helping people went hand-in-hand with telling them about God.

Secondly, giving changes our lives too. When we open our hearts and piggybanks to God's way of looking at life and his perspective on giving, we'll see massive blessing. God encouraged Israel to give: 'Remove the chains of prisoners...share your food...share your home...give clothes to those in need' (see Isaiah 58:6-9). And, when we're waiting to see God do something in our lives, shifting our focus to others is the way that God, in turn, blesses us with what we need.



So what now? Write out Isaiah 58:6-9 and put it on your bathroom mirror. Caring for others is part of your mandate for your Christian walk and a way to give glory to the one who cares for us all.





— SCRIPTURE —

'Blessed is he who considers the poor.' Psalm 41:1 NKJV
— SOULFOOD —

Obad, 2 John, Matt 15:1-14, Ps 119:33-40 , Pro 17:16