The selling of a Lie

Psalm 41:1-3

“Blessed is the one who considers the poor In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him; the Lord protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.  The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness, you restore him to full health.”

One must not forget that God looks at the heart and not the act, so when we give it must be to bless others and not to get back from the Lord.  It is early morning, and I have had a hard time sleeping.  My mind went to a request from Samaritan's Purse; this was the request: Urgent Relief Needed for Venezuelans on the Move.  The people are leaving by the thousands, they are hungry and need help, and as a whole, they are the ones who voted for a socialist government to take from the rich and they were promised so much free stuff.  It sounds a lot like the Democratic socialist that is running for President of the United States of America.

Venezuela was one of the best economies in all of South America, and now it is a disaster.  Yes, often people will give up freedom and rights and buy into a lie when it comes to the promise of someone taking care of you.  My dad taught us that not one thing is a free gift; someone always has to pay for things.  So I hope you and I share that with the younger folks that have been pampered and believe they are entitled, they do not understand the price that was paid in blood for what they take for granted.

But this is the question, does God give me a pass on helping these people from Venezuela because they bought into a lie and I believe it is a choice, so I ask what Jesus would do?  And that’s clear from the verse above, help them in their need, be the hands and feet of Jesus.  As a follower of Christ, I must follow Jesus, and that is what Samaritan's Purse does all over the world in the name of Jesus.

The Scriptures are full of God’s direction to us who are followers of Christ on this subject.  “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”— Proverbs 31:8-9  “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”— Proverbs 11:25  “Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.”— Proverbs 14:31 “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.”— Proverbs 19:17  “The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.” (Proverbs 22:9)  “Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.”— Proverbs 28:27 - That is a small sampling of what God has said about the subject; a wise person will hear and obey.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice