Repaid by God!

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Caring for the poor is lending to the LORD, and you will be well repaid.

Proverbs 19:17

The Book of Proverbs is a very practical "How to Live Today" guide.  If you read it regularly, you will find advice that is applicable in every situation of life.

This verse from Proverbs 19 really opens the door to a stunning truth.  When you care for a poor person you are lending to the Lord.  If you are the one who lends, then the Lord is the One who borrows!  I thought that God didn't need to borrow anything, and of course that is true.  But God chooses to be indebted to you when you care for the poor!

Don't forget that caring for the poor is not simply giving them money or some physical thing.  Caring for the poor would also include acts of kindness and developing a personal relationship or friendship with those who are poor.  

I once knew a very rich man who told me that his friends were much more important than his money. Caring for a poor person is more often than not about relationship and not always about money.  If your poverty is a lack of friends, you are poorer than the man who has no money!

I believe that God can and does repay those who care for the poor with physical blessings, but also, and I think more importantly, they are repaid with a closer relationship with God.  It is better to have a close personal relationship with Jesus Christ than to be a billionaire!

"Lord Jesus, give me the wisdom to know how to care for those who are poor.  Open my eyes to the needs of those that I can bless.  But Lord, if You choose to bless me for caring for the poor then bless me with a closer walk with You.  That Jesus, I know is the greatest blessing of all.  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen."