Daily Devotional
1 Samuel 2:8 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and he hath set the world upon them.
How do you respond to the poor? Is it to mock, smear, look down on or refuse to provide help even when you are in the position to do so? We should respond to the poor the way that God does and that is revealed in the word of God. At the heart of God’s response to the poor is a mission to lift them up; this was articulated in 1 Samuel 2:8 where it says “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes and to make them inherit the throne of glory. What the scripture shows is that God’s plan for the poor never includes leaving them in their current position, but rather to lift them up and He responds in this way because He can see beyond the mess of their current situation. Lifting up the poor begins with carrying a vision of their life that goes beyond where they are today.
The scripture gives two ways in which we can lift up the poor. The first is to create opportunities for them to get out of their current situation. The Bible points to this approach in Leviticus 23:22 where it said “when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger”. Leaving behind a portion of your harvest for the benefit of the poor is helping them to create a harvest for themselves.
The second way that the Bible shows us to lift up the poor is to give to those who are in need. Deuteronomy 15:11 instructs us to open our hands wide to the poor and needy in the land. Opening our hands wide is another way of saying give to the poor in abundance; doing so requires us to have a heart for the poor. It is why Proverbs 19:17 says He hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD. Pity there refers to having a heart for the poor. If we have heart for the poor, the foundation is set for us to create opportunities to lift them up.
Life Application: Lift up the poor and needy by asking God to give you a heart for those who are in need and create opportunities for them to experience a harvest.
Prayer: Lord, give me a heart like yours for those who are poor and needy. Position me to give to those who are in need and to create opportunities for them to experience a harvest. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Daily Devotional 
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