June 30th

He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done. Proverbs 19:17

There are only so many ways that we can exercise some control in our destiny with life. We can make investments of kindness and goodness to others who are less fortunate than we are. In doing this, we are likely to endear ourselves to them because of our generosity and thoughtfulness. We should do this, however, not just to gain appreciation but to please the Lord by obeying Him. Our Creator can provide us with rewards that we cannot even imagine. This is a great return for our weak efforts to please Him.

We are all poor and of low estate. We don’t like to admit it because we like to maximize our own importance and contributions. We are poor sighted because we do not see the reality around us of the needs of other people and spiritual forces that influence and shape us. We are poor and starved in love because we have so little to give to others when they desperately need it. We do not have love because we have a poor connection to God, who is love.

However, when we are kind to the poor, it is an avenue to receive more of all the gifts that God has for us. These include wisdom, love, understanding and peace. Just having these in small measure will make us into people that are greatly rewarded.