Proverbs 19:17 says, “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.”
Have you ever been overdrawn? If not, you haven’t lived yet. Lottery winners, prizefighters, builders, farmers—it can happen to anyone. Henry Ford and Nikola Tesla were hard-working men who gave to the world the convenience of transportation and electricity, but they both struggled with finances.
This time of year, after the Christmas spending, we may find our bank account overdrawn. I hope that is not the case.
Let us take a moment to look at our heavenly bank account. If you don’t have a heavenly bank account, open one today! In Matthew 6:20, Jesus said, “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…” Again, Jesus said in Mark 10:29-30, “…Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.”
Did you ever think of actually lending to the Lord? That is what we do when we have pity upon the poor. The question is not, “How did they get poor?” The question is, “Will I have pity on them?” Giving them a few dollars may be in order. The beggars on the corner often hold up a sign saying, “Anything helps.”
Paul, in I Corinthians 13:3 says, “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”
Pity comes from the heart. Luke 6:30-36 is helpful. In this part of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus is actually talking about money. In verse 30 He says to, “Give to every man that asketh of thee.” I have found that when my wallet is empty, no one asks for money. When I have a 20-dollar bill, they seem to smell it and ask if I could help them out with a twenty. I have a feeling it is God testing me to see if I have pity on the poor. God knows all along that He will repay me with interest. Not only does He want me to trust Him, but He also has pity on the poor.
Abraham Lincoln once said, “God must love the poor people. He made so many of them.”
In Luke 6:35 Jesus said, “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.” God’s attitude toward unthankful beggars and evil drug users is kindness. When we consider the poor beggar unworthy of our money, or think he will only spend it on cigarettes, beer, or drugs (and we may be right)—we rob ourselves of a chance to lend to the Lord. When we lend to the Lord, it is up to Him how He uses the money. The promise is that He will repay us. Not only do we get our money back with interest, but we become partners with the Lord. What a deal—we become children of the Highest.
When we get a notice that our earthly bank account is overdrawn, it can be overwhelming. Think of the regret to hear, when entering into heaven, that we have so little in our heavenly bank account. Or worse yet, it is overdrawn!
