The Church and Proverbs 31 (Part 3)

She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. (Proverbs 31:20)

This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:32)

One of the things that the godly wife does is care for those who cannot care for themselves. As Christ’s bride, we, the church, NEED to be doing this. Jesus cares immensely about the poor – it’s one of the big topics of the Bible. As such, we need to too.

Are you doing anything at all to help the poor? Most of the world lives on less than two American dollars a day – less than what having a cup of coffee at a café costs. Are you willing to give up that cup of coffee in order to make the name of our Heavenly Husband known throughout all the earth? Are you willing to sacrifice the take-away food, the DVDs bought from the video store? Are you willing to go without in order to care for those that Jesus cares for… and is waiting for His bride to care for too?

It’s one thing to help the global poor. It’s easy to sponsor a child (and I recommend it!), but the cost is not that great. Even my most “expensive” sponsor children cost me only $43 a month. The money isn’t really something that I miss terribly – as long as I can buy my books and my dairy-free chocolate, I’m not fussed as to how much money I have left over.

But the local poor… they are a different story. Do you care for the poor at home? The beggar who comes up to you, asking for loose change? The homeless, shivering as winter goes on, and it gets colder, wetter, and still out, sleeping in parks? Do you reach out your hand to them?

I’ve told more than a few beggars that I don’t have any money for them. Even when I do. I’ve walked past the people who are crouched in doorways, their knees huddled to their chest, trying to keep warm. But going past them is not what Christ wants from His bride. He wants us to help, to open up our hands and do what we can to make a difference.

There is so much that you can do – volunteer at a soup kitchen, knit hats for the homeless, even just opening your wallet when someone asks you for loose change.

Let us glorify His name, by opening our hands and our hearts, for the love of Christ.