Are We Responsible?

The very nature of our Lord is to seek out the poor and help them. As God's children we are commanded to do likewise. When we give to the poor and help them with material assistance, it opens the door so that we might present the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord is interested in every soul. As we reach out to others with His love and compassion, we are able to lead them to salvation. The word salvation in the Greek, takes on a fuller meaning than someone being born again and going to heaven. The Greek word for salvation encompasses the meaning of deliverance from sin, sickness, harm, danger, lack and poverty. Therefore, Jesus came to not only save us from our sin; but to save us from sickness, harm, fear, poverty and every other curse. Poverty comes from the devil, as do the rest of these things. Jesus came to redeem us from our sin, sickness and poverty.

Lawrence Red Feathers sits on his porch at Pine Ridge Reservation, Rapid City, South Dakota, USA. Photograph: Jennifer Brown/Corbis

As God's children, we are promised the blessing of abundance. This does not mean just abundance in material things; but is speaking of spiritual blessings as well, which are really more valuable than all material blessings. The Lord wants to bless us so that we can bless others. If we are poor we are not able to help others. We must learn how to receive our blessings so that we can pass those blessings on. The Bible tells us that when we reach out to help any one who is needy, poor, sick or in prison, it is the same as giving to the Lord Himself and the Lord shall reward us for it. However, the opposite is also true. When we fail to minister to the poor, hungry and sick, we also fail to minister to the Lord and shall be rejected by Him.