Showing mercy

He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honours Him has mercy on the needy. – Proverbs 14v31

For most of my Christian life I heard very little about the Christian responsibilty regarding the poor. People seemed so afraid on preaching a 'social gospel' that we just ignored the clear teaching of scripture in both the Old and New Testament.

Look at what this passage and think about the lesson Jesus taught about giving a drink to the poor man who was thirsty. Remember that? Jesus said that if we give a drink to a poor man we have given it to Him and if we ignore the poor man's needs we ignore Him.

Any one who oppresses the poor is a reproach to His maker. Anyone who truly honours God will have mercy on the need.

Proverbs is a collection of godly principles and wise advice. It is hard to build doctrine around Proverbs. However, this is one proverb that Jesus Himself illustrates in His teaching.'Whoever gives a drink to one of these gives it to me' Jesus says.

The principle is clear. God's people care for the needy. Our care for the needy is an indication of how we see God. How we see the poor is a reflection of how we see God.

Our do we measure up if our care for the poor is our measuring rod?