Derek and The dominoes: "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out"

This is so true among the people of the world. Folks tend to congregate around those whom they admire, particularly if they're wealthy. It's why famous people need to hire guards to safeguard their privacy.

This song by Derek and The Dominoes describes how down-and-out folks are treated by the world. Listen to it here:

We, whom Christ rescued from hell, mustn't despise poor people. As we read in James 2:1-4 (Bible in Basic English), "My brothers, if you have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory, do not take a man's position into account. For if a man comes into your Synagogue in fair clothing and with a gold ring, and a poor man comes in with dirty clothing, And you do honour to the man in fair clothing and say, Come here and take this good place; and you say to the poor man, 'Take up your position there,' or 'be seated at my feet;' Is there not a division in your minds? have you not become judges with evil thoughts?"

And as we understand from Deuteronomy 15:11 (BBE), "For there will never be a time when there are no poor in the land; and so I give orders to you, Let your hand be open to your countrymen, to those who are poor and in need in your land."

God takes abuse of impoverished people seriously. As Psalms 10:14 (BBE) states, "You have seen it; for your eyes are on sorrow and grief, to take it into your hand: the poor man puts his faith in you; you have been the helper of the child who has no father."

In fact, we'll be blessed when we help destitute souls. Psalms 41:1 (BBE) reminds us, "<To the chief music-maker. A Psalm. Of David.> Happy is the man who gives thought to the poor; the Lord will be his saviour in the time of trouble."

Those who oppress impoverished people will certainly be punished by God. As Psalms 109:15 and 16 (BBE) says of  the wicked, "Let them be ever before the eyes of the Lord, so that the memory of them may be cut off from the earth. Because he had no mercy, but was cruel to the low and the poor, designing the death of the broken-hearted."

A friend told me that when she was a street person, she attended a certain downtown church. The priest came up to her after the service and told her never to return and that she wasn't welcome. No wonder some folks condemn Christians for lacking compassion.

If our Master hasn't come for us by Saturday, I'll feature a popular song about praying.

Max Romeo: "Uptown Babies Don't Cry

We North Americans certainly are blessed. We take for granted that our young children won't have to work to help us survive. Every child can attend public school too.

This song by reggae artist Max Romeo highlights the problem of poor children and how hard life is for them. Check it out here.

God cares much for the poor. We see it in verses such as Exodus 23:11 (Bible in Basic English). Israelites were allowed to harvest their land for six years, "But in the seventh year let the land have a rest and be unplanted; so that the poor may have food from it: and let the beasts of the field take the rest. Do the same with your vine-gardens and your olive-trees."

Were the poor forgotten during the six years of harvest? Leviticus 23:22 (BBE)urged Israelite farmers,  "And when you get in the grain from your land, do not let all the grain at the edges of the field be cut, and do not take up the grain which has been dropped in the field; let that be for the poor, and for the man from another country: I am the Lord your God."

Furthermore, Deuteronomy 15:11 (BBE) commanded, "For there will never be a time when there are no poor in the land; and so I give orders to you, Let your hand be open to your countrymen, to those who are poor and in need in your land."

God even blesses those who help impoverished people. Proverbs 19:17 (BBE) show us that, "He who has pity on the poor gives to the Lord, and the Lord will give him his reward."

We Christians aren't exempt from giving, even if our governments tax the stuffing out of us. Luke 14:13 and 14 (BBE) plainly says, "But when you give a feast, send for the poor and the blind and those who are broken in body: And you will have a blessing, because they will not be able to give you any payment, and you will get your reward when the upright come back from the dead."

It need not be money we donate. We can give clothing or even rides to those who lack those things.

In the event our Master hasn't returned by Saturday, I hope to publish about cooperation in spreading the gospel.

Saturday Song: Jethro Tull, "Aqualung"

I once heard an announcer wonder why anybody would write a song about a homeless person. It obviously didn't cross his mind that people might actually care for somebody like that "poor old sod."

Check out Jethro Tull's song here.

I'm glad that Christ cares even for pathetic wretches like the man in the song. We have the guarantee from Jesus that whosoever calls on his name will be saved. John 6:37 (BBE) promises, "Whatever the Father gives to me will come to me; and I will not send away anyone who comes to me."

God loves broken and contrite people. Psalms 34:18 (BBE) reminds us, "The Lord is near the broken-hearted; he is the saviour of those whose spirits are crushed down."

Even the poorest beggar can call upon the Lord of the Universe. Psalms 141:8 (BBE) says, "But my eyes are turned to you, O Lord God: my hope is in you; let not my soul be given up to death."

Moreover, we're charged with the care of our Christian siblings as well as to people who don't believe. James 2:15 and 16 (BBE) reminds us, "If a brother or a sister is without clothing and in need of the day's food, And one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warm and full of food;' but you do not give them the things of which their bodies have need, what profit is there in this?"

Poor people are the most likely to receive Christ as they have no position to be proud of nor pride to get in the way. As Jesus read from the book of Isaiah, quoted in Luke 4:18 and 19 (BBE), "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because I am marked out by him to give good news to the poor; he has sent me to make well those who are broken-hearted; to say that the prisoners will be let go, and the blind will see, and to make the wounded free from their chains, To give knowledge that the year of the Lord's good pleasure is come."

God knew that there never would be a time when there wouldn't be impoverished and broken people among us. He spoke through Moses in Deuteronomy 15:11 (BBE), "For there will never be a time when there are no poor in the land; and so I give orders to you, Let your hand be open to your countrymen, to those who are poor and in need in your land."This is why we have rescue missions today which reach out to folks like Aqualung. Some repent and some don't but the gospel is preached to them in any case.

On Monday, I hope to post about good deeds and which count in God's assessment.

The Social Justice Error

Is social justice wrong? It sounds like a good thing since we are supposed to do good works. But, as I've written before, doing works to impress God won't work. Just look what happened to the Pharisees.

Of course we followers of Christ should be helping the less fortunate out of compassion for them. Even in ancient Israel, provisions were made for impoverished folks. Exodus 23:11 (KJV) instructed, "But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard."

Moses also exhorted the people, not the government,  to be generous. Deuteronomy 15:11 (KJV) says, "For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, 'Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.'"

God also blesses those who help the less fortunate. Proverbs 19:17 (KJV) states, "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again."

Sadly, socialists have co opted social justice. It once was the responsibility of Christians to defend the disadvantaged but our governments are taking more and more opportunities away from us. Furthermore, we have no say on whom they lavish our tax money.

Additionally, secular social justice warriors approve and praise that which God forbids. For example, they covet the money which hard-working citizens have earned for their families. But their real motive in redistributing wealth is selfish since increasing numbers of civil servants need to be hired to police the population. As it says in Exodus 20:17 (KJV) "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's." Socialism is based on class envy, not freedom to generate wealth.

While we are to help those who can't help themselves, we must also be free to preach the good news. We can't save ourselves from hell but Christ offers salvation and eternal life. All government do gooders offer is temporary relief.

I'll be writing more about how good works, laudable though they appear, can't save a person in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Far too many good deeds are done so that the doer of them will look more noble to others and God.

On Saturday, I'll post about a beautiful song by a seventies band called Bread. I'm sure you'll enjoy that song.12