It’s easy to avoid the poor. Or despise the poor. Or judge the poor. Or ignore the poor.

But God makes some serious promises to those who consider the poor.

Psalm 41:1 - Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him; the Lord protects him and keeps his 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.

I like that word “consider.” in Hebrew it’s the word sakal and it means something like “have insight into” or “act prudently toward.“ Isn’t that great?

The Bible doesn’t command us to feel compassion and then act emotionally.

The Bible invites us to consider carefully and then act prudently.

When you live in the city it’s easy to get inoculated to the presence of the poor, to ignore them, and to move on with your life. But God gives incredible blessings to those who consider the poor.

That might mean helping someone directly, or it might mean contributing in prudent ways. This December our church is collecting a special offering called Let There Be Light! and we’ll be helping Refugees in Greece and the residents of Mary Ellen McCormack housing development.

Whether you give to Let There Be Light! or somewhere else, I hope you’ll consider the poor this December.

[Thank you for reading! If you are looking for a church in Boston or churches in Boston please consider giving Renewal Church a try!]

Photo by Jonathan Kho on Unsplash