106. The Helpless Poor
Today’s reading: “The Ministry of Healing” pp. 201–203.
This chapter deals with those poor who cannot help themselves. Our stewardship extends to the,
- widows
- fatherless children
- aged
- helpless
- sick
Notice we are to be “especially” concerned with those in,
The Household of Faith
This is an important principle, as we will see later. The world’s needs are so extensive that we wouldn’t make any difference even if we gave all our time and money, but, for our own character development, Christ places the poor, the needy and the helpless within our churches.
We become like Christ when we,
- minister to the sick
- support the weak
- teach the ignorant
- train the inexperienced.
Notice how God feels and acts towards the widow and orphan. Our feelings and actions should be the same.
God provides for the widows and orphans by,
- Giving the church a sacred trust (special gifts) in widows and orphans
- Giving church members abundant means
- Awakening our sympathy
- Performing the miracle of expelling selfishness and unsealing the fountains of Christlike love.
- We become channels of His bounty.
This is very character-building, it removes our selfish nature, our aloof attitude and our complaints while for the care-worn widow, it provides aid and lifted burdens.
Even though there are fewer orphans today, how can we individually, and as households, provide a loving family, provide nurture and admonition and care for the faulty, troublesome children in our church.
