“For the poor you always have with you, and whenever you wish, you can do them good.”~Jesus

Jesus, in His walk on earth, said that He did what He saw theFather doing. When He encountered something that was contrary to the way of the Kingdom, He often reversed the plight of the afflicted. So, it is an interesting comment to consider–that the poor will always be among us and that we can choose to do them good. Matthew 25:31-46 shares that in our extension of grace, we might be actually ministering to Christ Himself. You see, the poor are among us to catch our attention.

There are two kinds of poor. There are those who are rich in faith (James 2:5) and those who, in their time of need, turn from their true Provider, and live in independent suffering. When Jesus came, modeling dependence upon His Father, He lived without the temporal benefits that are offered by the kingdom of this world (Matthew 4:8-9). He chose instead to identify with His poorer brethren. With this ‘distressing disguise’, walking in the image and likeness of the least, He showed us how to be fruitful and multiply for the sake of His Father’s Kingdom.

The poor–those who have learned that they are truly dependent–theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. They are the ones who can teach us how to cast our cares upon the ruling King in Glory. Those who thought themselves to be rich in Laodicea, were called to repent, declare their need, and dine with Him.

May we find Jesus today in the helpless places. May our cry of dependence open the door to provision. May our faith grow in this time of need.