Fri.'s Devo - The Rich and the Poor

Read Pr. 22:2
The rich and the poor will always be on the earth because God put them both here to challenge us. The rich are here to give and bless the world with their gifts. It is our struggle not to envy them but to rejoice that they keep the economy going and contribute much good to society. They also contribute a lot of bad which is a whole different challenge. The poor are here to remind us of the goodness of God in our lives. They are here to challenge us to give out of our need to help someone in a greater need. Jesus even said that the poor will always be with you. (Mat. 26:11) But he also says to give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. He blessed the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. But when he saw the poor widow give her last 2 mites he didn't run after her and give her money, he commended her for her faith. Sometimes it is not our job to fix someone's financial need but to teach them the rules of the kingdom and let God do that. We can't solve world hunger but we can preach the gospel and solve the hunger of their soul which is much more important. And if God calls us to give to the poor then we do it. Meeting the immediate need of a person will open their hearts to the inner need of their soul. So bottom line, we do what we see the Father doing and leave the rest to him.
Lord, open our hearts to the poor in spirit and the poor in physical need. Show us what our part is and give us the grace to obey.