Brad and Libby Birky opened a restaurant in Denver, Colorado. It is a 40-seat restaurant that has one thing conspicuously absent: a cash register. They serve healthy food to people in need. The Birkys do not charge for their meals, telling people “Pay whatever you can afford.” Some do not pay anything, but most pay a dollar or donate an hour of work. The name of the restaurant: SAME–So All May Eat. Their motto;
“Everyone, regardless of economic status, deserves the chance to eat healthy food while being treated with dignity. Good food for the Greater Good.”
Galatians 2:10 (AMP)
10 They asked only [one thing], that we remember the poor, the very thing I was also eager to do.
Looking at the scriptures especially in the book of proverbs, the poor have a special place in Gods heart. Over and over believers are urged to help the poor, treat them with dignity, don’t take advantage of them and neither are we to close our ears to them.
Consider the following scriptures from proverbs;
Proverbs 14:31 (AMP)
31 He who oppresses the poor taunts and insults his Maker,
But he who is kind and merciful and gracious to the needy honors Him.
To oppress the poor means you are booing and heckling at God. You are basically insulting your maker, now that is scary
Proverbs 19:17 (AMP)
17 He who is gracious and lends a hand to the poor lends to the LORD,
And the LORD will repay him for his good deed.
Some good investing advise here, to give to the poor and to offer a lending hand to the poor is to lend to the Lord and that will not go unnoticed because the Lord repays.
Proverbs 22:22-23 (AMP)
22 Do not rob the poor because he is poor [and defenseless],Nor crush the afflicted [by legal proceedings] at the gate [where the city court is held], 23 For the LORD will plead their case And take the life of those who rob them.
Now this is the one that scared me stiff. God says that when you rob the poor because they are poor and defenseless and when you crush them by legal proceedings God himself will plead their case and he will take you out… personally.
Proverbs 21:13 (AMP)
13 Whoever shuts his ears at the cry of the poor will cry out himself and not be answered.
All of us definitely want God to hear and answer our prayer but he says that if you and I shut our ears to the cry of the poor, when we cry we will not be answered.
I may not be able to help all the poor but I can definitely do something about one and after reading the above scriptures I think the wise thing to do is to remember the poor.
