# 686 Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 14:7 "For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.”
Have you ever considered this statement from Jesus about the poor? They will always be with us. We will have hunger and poverty issues until the Lord returns!
Why? Why doesn't Jesus just snap His fingers and alleviate the pain and suffering of poverty? He's telling us that no matter how much we do to rid the world of poverty, it will always be with us. Does that mean we should stop trying? Of course not!
First of all as we give to the poor, we become a living parable of the gospel. Giving to the poor is a picture of what God has done for us through Jesus. We are nothing but spiritual beggars, but God so loves us that He gave. No strings attached. And every time a poor person receives just a cup of cold water, from a follower of Jesus it is a snapshot of the gospel. Freely received, freely given.
Still another reason is that giving to the poor is one of the spiritual disciplines linked to the followers of Christ. It is right there with prayer and fasting. Jesus made that clear in the sermon on the Mount when he said, “when you give to the needy,” (Mt 6:2)
Did you catch the word, “when?” It's not a matter of IF we give to the poor. It is WHEN. Look for the opportunity.
Friend, are you a follower of Jesus Christ, then PLAN to give to the poor! Go over and above your tithe to your local congregation. Discipline yourself to set money aside for your local food pantry, or Food For the Poor, or World Vision, or any other trusted relief agency.
Remember, every time you do this, you are painting a picture of what Jesus did for you!
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