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Key Bible Verse: "When you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!" (Matthew 25:40). Bonus Reading:Matthew 25:31-46

When I first began seeing God's love for the poor in Scripture, caring for them was both a novel idea and an exciting adventure. But to be honest, it quickly lost much of the glamour. I found some poor people very demanding, ungrateful, and belligerent. I've had two bicycles and various gardening tools stolen from my house. Sometimes I laugh when I tell these stories, but they weren't so funny when they happened.

So the Scriptures look a little different to me now. I read them with a better understanding of the cost of love. But it's funny; despite my more realistic view of what it means to love the poor, I come up with the same thing: God calls me to have compassion on those in need.

The Lord hears the cry of the poor. Love for those in need is not optional; it's a central mandate of the faith. It's not a political issue; it's a biblical one. It's so much at the heart of who Jesus is, so much a part of His character, that He tells us if we don't love those in need, we don't love Him. Loving the poor is one of the clear marks of a disciple, regardless of how we're treated in return.

My Response: My motivation to help the needy will survive ingratitude because …

Thought to Apply: If you're going to care about the fall of the sparrow, you can't pick and choose who's going to be the sparrow.

—Madeleine L'engle (writer)

Adapted from Faith on the Edge (InterVarsity, 1999) by permission.

Copyright © 2002 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Merciful God, make me compassionate so that I will begin to mirror Your character.

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