Caring for the poor

When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest.  You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the Lord your God. - Leviticus 19:9-10

Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.  Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, “Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.” - Deuteronomy 15:10-11

 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,
    and will be repaid in full. - Proverbs 19:17

Those who are generous are blessed,
    for they share their bread with the poor. - Proverbs 22:9

Those who are generous are blessed,
    for they share their bread with the poor. - Proverbs 28:27

 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
    and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
    and not to hide yourself from your own kin?  If you offer your food to the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
    and your gloom be like the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually,
    and satisfy your needs in parched places,
    and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
    like a spring of water,
    whose waters never fail. - Isaiah 58:7, 10-11

 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
        to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
        to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” - Luke 4:18-19

Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the festival”; or, that he should give something to the poor. - John 13:29

He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid.  But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” - Luke 14:12-14

At that time prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.  One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine over all the world; and this took place during the reign of Claudius.  The disciples determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers^[a] living in Judea;  this they did, sending it to the elders by Barnabas and Saul. - Acts 11:27-30

Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas.^[a] She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. - Acts 9:36

 He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God.  One afternoon at about three o’clock he had a vision in which he clearly saw an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius.”  He stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” He answered, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.- Acts 10:2-4

 They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was^[a] eager to do. - Galatians 2:4

 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. - James 1:27

 What good is it, my brothers and sisters,^[a] if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?  If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food,  and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?- James 2:14-16

 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.  How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister^[a] in need and yet refuses help?  Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.  And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him - 1 John 3:16-19

Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;  for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;  for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. Matthew 25:34-35, 41-42

There is a priority set to care for the needs of those who follow Christ.

 So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. - Galatians 6:10

When Saul was persecuting Christians, Jesus appeared to him.

 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” - Acts 9:4

How can we eliminate poverty? The answer is, we cannot. Jesus said that the poor would always be with us. Should we give up? Of course not.

The poor need not only our provisions but also social justice.

You shall not abuse any widow or orphan.  If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry. - Exodus 22:22-23

Nor shall you be partial to the poor in a lawsuit. You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in their lawsuits. You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. - Exodus 23:3,6,9

 The prophets were particularly concerned about the exploitation of the poor.  James warns the church against courting and favouring the rich over the poor.

 I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy,    and executes justice for the poor. - Psalm 140:12

I need to determine a salary that I need to live on, then give back to God every dime He entrusts to me beyond that, so every day I work and earn income is a day that will help the poor and reach the lost.