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Thursday, February 28, 2008

Sharing God's Heart for the Poor


The following comes from a devotional from a former Love INC volunteer who described Love INC as a "matchmaker between people in need and Christians in local churches who wanted to help." Wow! What a perfect descriptions. We pray the Amy Sherman's words bless you.

God's Identification with the Poor

He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. Proverbs 14:31

A father to the fatherless, a defender of the widows, is God in his holy dwelling. Psalm 68:5

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These two verses teach us two important truths about God. First, He considers injury done to the poor a personal affront, and kindness done to the needy as personal service. That's the point of Proverbs 14:31 (and of Proverbs 17:5 and Proverbs 19:17). Jesus explains the same truth in the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25. There, He commends the righteous who "saw him hungry and gave him something to eat, and saw him thirsty and gave him something to drink." What the righteous did to the least of these," they did unto Christ. What the righteous failed to do to the least of these, Jesus says, they failed to do to Him.

Second, God often chooses to identify Himself with his loving, saving actions on behalf of the poor. God holds numerous titles: Jehovah-Shalom (God our peace), the Almighty, The Sovereign Lord, the Creator, Jehovah-Jireh (God our provider), and more. Bur repeatedly throughout the Psalms, we see that God also wants to be known for the way He loves the needy. Psalm 68:5 teaches that God titles Himself, "father to the fatherless, and defender of widows." Similarly, in Psalm 9:9, we see God nameed as "a refuge to the oppressed." In Psalm 12:5, God declares, "Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise. I will protect them from those who malign them." He is described in Psalm 35:10 as the One who "rescues the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them;" in Psalm 103:6 as One who "works righteousness and justice and for all the oppressed," and in Psalm 146:7-9 as the One who watches over the needy who gives food to the hungry, lifts up those bowed down, and considers the ways of the fatherless, the alien, and the widow. And Psalm 72, which speaks of Jesus the King, describes Him similarly: "He will defend the afflicted among the people, and save the children of the needy, he will crush the oppressor. For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight."

God requires us to worship Him as He describes Himself. We don't have the right to construct our own picture of Him. We must take Him as He is. And He clearly wants us to know that a central, irreducible component of His self-identity is His love for the poor.

Reflect on these words from Michael Card's song:

In His distressing disguise, He waits for us to surmise
that when we take control of the poorest of them,
we've really done it to Him.


Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Propane Tank


Mrs. Lupe with her daughter


Mrs. Lupe (an elderly lady) called the Love INC office because her propane tank had developed some leaks and the propane gas company would not fill it up until she had it repaired or got a new one. Living on Social Security, Mrs. Lupe didn't have the resources to do either. Her need was made know to the participating/partner churches and soon, a member from Church of the Advent came across a tank and Brownsville Community Fellowship was able to pick it up and install.

What a blessing to see these churches work together to change lives & communities.



BCF members installing the propane tank

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Boy Scout Troop 214



Boy Scout Troop 214 at St Paul's Episcopal Church stepped up to help a family in need. This family's refrigerator went out and all their food was ruined. A couple wintering in Texas from South Dakota and attending Brownsville Community Fellowship had a refrigerator to give this family, but had no way to deliver it. Committee member Preston Vidos responded to the e-mail sent out by the Love INC office and volunteered the troop.


What a blessing to have the community working together to help those in need!

Jesus, Jose & Josue with BS Troop 214 with Elena & Erasto and the refrigerator