The Poorest of the Poor by Pastor Denzel Fenn
There is a great deal of discussion today regarding the poor. Our cities are filled with the working poor and the homeless. Some are poor because of tragedy, some are poor through circumstances and some are poor through bad choices.
The Bible has a great deal to say about the poor. They have a special place in the Father’s heart. So God instructed His people that when they reaped their fields or harvested their vineyards that, on purpose, they should leave some for the poor.
One of our problems in the western world is identifying those who are legitimately poor. Some are poor because they chose not to work. The Proverbs have much to say about that. Proverbs 6:10-11 – “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little of the folding of the hands to sleep – so shall your poverty come on you like a prowler.” Proverbs 10:4 – “He who has a slack hand becomes poor.” Paul said that if a man would not work he should not be fed by others. If he could not work then the church should care for him.
When the Bible talks about the poor it identifies them as the orphan, the widow, the infirmed, the refugee and the oppressed. God commanded His people “Learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow” (Isaiah 1:17).
God’s heart is for the poor. Psalm 146:9 – “the LORD watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and the widow.” And He urges us to be like Him. 1 John 1:6 – “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” So much of our Lord’s life was devoted to the poor, the sick, the lonely and the broken.
James summed it up when he said, “pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble” (James 1:27).
For the last 35 years, I have ministered in many nations around the world. It is in these nations that I have met the poorest of the poor and I have tried to be a voice for them when I return to this incredibly blessed country of
I think of the people who have only a few meagre meals a week. I think of the little girls sold into prostitution so the rest of the family can eat. I think of those who live under oppressive governments where rulers live in extravagance and the people are unable to procure the basic necessities of life. These are the poorest of the poor.
I see the Lord weep over their needs. And I hear Him calling to us to be His hands and feet and give to them.
Matthew records in his gospel the coming Day of Judgment and it reveals God’s priorities. It demonstrates that when we minister to the poor we are in fact ministering to Him.
“I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came for Me….inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:35-40).
In the midst of all our blessings let’s remember the poorest of the poor.
(This was written by Pastor Fenn and published in a Calgary newsletter for seniors.)
