"Open Your Hand Wide to Your Poor Brother"

SPIRITUAL FOOD: "Open Your Hand Wide to Your Poor Brother"

There are many verses in the Bible which talks about a Christian's responsibility to help the poor and his neighbor and this should be done out of love and not out of obligation. Sometimes, we can understand why we cannot love other people especially those we do not know, but our own relatives and our own flesh-and-blood, we are expected to naturally love and be willing to help. Here are some verses which might inspire you to understand why we help our relatives and our poor neighbor.

Matthew 22: 37-39 "Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord you God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind'. This is the first and great commandment. The second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself' ".

Deuteronomy 15: 7-8 "If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs."

Proverbs 19: 26 "He who mistreats his father and chases away his mother is a son who causes shame and brings reproach."

Proverbs 19: 17 "He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given".

Proverbs 11:24-25 "There is one who scatters, yet increases all the more; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself."

Saturday, June 12, 2010