99. Industrial Training
Today’s reading: “The Ministry of Healing” pp. 185b-187a.
As well as land enough to till, each man learned a trade, or a number of them, each woman in Israel learned the essentials of “housewifery.” But even this didn’t do away with poverty, God has a purpose for poverty—the development of character!
Poverty is part of restoration, the development of a character like Christ’s.
Whose character is grown, the poor person’s or their benefactor’s?
The imperative of every Bible verse is to the benefactor. Every case of need we can supply is an opportunity to,
- willingly open our hand — be generous, liberal, not hard-hearted or tight-fisted,
- because they are family, brothers and sisters.
- support the poor,
- leave the crumbs — take what you need — leave the rest for the gleaners. Notice the implication that the poor are obliged to “glean” for themselves. We don’t hand it out to them, they must “glean” — hard work.
- Don’t be afraid of being liberal, as with all of God’s commands, obedience surely results in prosperity in all we do.
Are we, and Australians are the wealthiest people in the world, as generous as we could be?
What crumbs are you leaving out for the needy?
Who do you need to help?
How can you do it so they have to glean. So it isn’t a hand-out?
