5 Groups the Bible Calls Us to Care For
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Deuteronomy 10:18 says, “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.” God LOVES the foreigner residing among you! Just let that sink in for a moment. He not only sees them but he loves them. He gives them what they need. It’s easy to let narratives create villains when it comes to those who come from different places and cultures, but in God’s kingdom we are all just his children.
The church is there to love those who are not like us. When war, disaster, famine, and unrest push people from their homes and into our neighborhoods, we need to be here ready to embrace them with open arms. We bring them the things they need to live such as food and clothing. We walk alongside them as they try to make a life in a new place. We remind them that they are God’s child, even in this foreign land.
Psalm 82:3 tells us, “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and oppressed.” Justice is rarely experienced on this side of Heaven. Humanity is constantly finding ways to steal from others and hold back the advancement of our neighbors. We justify our blindness to the evil forces of racism with a logic that discounts the stories of so many groups that have lost so much because men are by nature evil.
This goes against the instructions God gives us in the Bible. We are to defend the disenfranchised, the poor, the unseen, and the oppressed. We can’t let our desire for status quo stop us from pursuing justice-focused change in our world. A part of bringing Heaven down is working to set right as many broken institutions, worldviews, and relationships as possible while here on Earth.
Psalm 41:1 says, “Blessed is the one who considers the poor! On the day of trouble the Lord delivers him.” Blessing come when we consider the needs of those who are unable to care for themselves in this world. Giving generously is something that God desires for his people. The Bible is full of verses that encourage us to be cheerful givers!
Each time we are given resources, we are to make it our practice to give a portion to those in need. This can look like donating items in our home, adopting a family for Christmas that would go without, sponsoring a child in a poor nation of the world, giving of your time to a charity that works with those in poverty, and the list goes on. Most Americans have so much more than any of us could ever need! This blessing of abundance is not here for our sake alone. We need to systematically give part of what we have to those who are in need.
God is so good that he cares for the real needs we each experience while here on Earth. When tragedy hits, he wants us to be cared for. This is one of the great missions of the church. If we neglect this calling, many people fail to see Jesus at work on Earth. Be a light in the dark and reach out to those in need.
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