Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.
Prov 14:31
Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.
Prov 21:13
Whoever gives to the poor will not want but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.
Prov 28:27
She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.
Prov 31:20
Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.
Galatians 2:10
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
2 Cor 8:9
If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
James 2:15-17
Often, I find myself avoiding eye contact with a homeless person standing on a corner with a cardboard sign. Is this what Proverbs 28:27 is talking about? While I chose long ago not to give out cash since it could enable someone with an addiction to remain enslaved, I am not released from caring as Jesus does.
The other day, I felt so unprepared when I met Nick in the Target parking lot. Sheepishly, I mustered courage and asked him, “You wouldn’t want my Indian curry leftovers from lunch, would you?” This was all I had in the car to give. He said, “I eat out of trash cans. Yes, I’ll take that.” I was taken aback at the thought of his having to eat out of trash cans and God used this to help me see how desperate the needs of the homeless are. Meeting Nick helped wake me up.
How about planning an evening to help the poor tangibly? Often doing things with others helps mobilize us into action! Here are three ideas that could facilitate moving toward Jesus practically by loving our neighbors:
A) For starters, make a handful of Ziploc bags with one each of the following:
- water (buy a case)
- cereal bar (perhaps a hard bar would be painful to eat, if one has little dental care)
- gospel literature, here’s a good one to consider:
http://www.matthiasmedia.com.au/outreach/two-ways-to-live-resources/two-ways-to-live-the-choice-we-all-face (or maybe you could find a tract that is specifically written for the homeless?)
- info to a local rescue mission, where they can get a hot meal, physical & spiritual help
B) Buy $5 gift cards to Subway and put them in an envelope with a gospel tract and info to the local mission center. You could include a personal note of encouragement, too!
C) Have a group packing event. While you can certainly do this alone, involving friends can help decrease the cost/work involved, and mobilize others to develop compassion for the poor, too! Who knows how this might multiply in the future...
To invite others to join you in helping the homeless, you could send an email like this:
Come join us at the Smith's home from 5-7pm on December 20, 2015. We will be packing “Homeless Blessing Bags!”
Proverbs 14:31 says, “Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.”
We have an opportunity to honor the Lord by being generous to the needy! These bags are simply gallon-size Ziploc bags filled with a variety of things to make life a little easier for those without a home and to share the Good News inside. You can keep them in your car, ready to give when you see a person in need!
1) Determine a budget amount for how much you’d like to contribute toward this project. This is a great time for children (and parents) who categorize their money to give to the Lord from their giving fund! Children get really excited about doing this!
2) Sign up for multiple slots, estimating toward your total budgeted goal. The items in ALL CAPS are essentials items and it would be great if you could sign up for at least one of these essential needs. The Dollar Tree is a great resource!
3) SignUpGenius will email you a reminder a few days before the packing event, if you choose that option.
You will NOT need to create an account/login to sign up for what you plan on contributing. Here’s the link:
(Include your link here to SignUpGenius.com.)
Each Blessing Bag will receive one of each item brought to the packing event. Each line is a sign up slot for one person to bring that specific quantity of the item. There are lots of ideas of items you could sign up for. All slots need NOT be filled. Feel free to email or call if you have any questions.
Just think. Soon we will be better prepared to bless the poor... and Jesus Himself! It would be great to develop a tradition of making these bags and to regularly distribute blessing bags throughout the year!
“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Matt 25:40
Considerations as you mobilize:
*In your email inviting folks to your Homeless Blessing Bags packing event, you could include in the email:
-verses about the poor at the end/beginning of the emailer
-invite a speaker from the local mission to speak for 20 minutes on how to better understand the homeless and what is/is not helpful in ministering to the poor (extend event time if you include a speaker)
- How many families will participate and how many bags will each family take? This will set the total number of bags your group will make. Factor in budget limitations of participants.
- If your group has 5 families and assembles 20 bags, each family can take 4 bags home to distribute. Here are examples of sign up slots (essential items in CAPS):
*10 WATERS
*10 WATERS
*10 TOOTHBRUSHES
*10 TOOTHBRUSHES
*10 TOOTHPASTE TUBES
*10 TOOTHPASTE TUBES
*10 WET WIPE PACKS
*10 WET WIPE PACKS
*20 CEREAL BARS
*20 SOCKS
*20 GOSPEL TRACTS / LITERATURE
*20 INFO TO LOCAL RESCUE MISSION
*other possible items to include on sign up list: lip balm, sunblock, tissue packs, applesauce, spoon/spork, tuna with easy pull top can, crackers, 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, soap, deodorant, cough drops, comb, bandaids, nail clippers
- List essential items in ALL CAPS.
- Some items are more costly and you can break down the sign up into two slots, each bringing half. If your group makes 20 bags, 20 toothbrushes will be needed. As the organizer, I suggest (if you use SignUp Genius) that you create 2 sign up slots for 10 toothbrushes each and write “1” in the “# Wanted” column. If you write “10 toothbrushes” and “2” in the “# Wanted” column, it will look like this, “10 toothbrushes (2)” -- this seems ambiguous to me.
- SignUpGenius will send notifications to the coordinator when individuals sign up.
- Consider sending a reminder email a few days before the event to encourage participants to recheck the link for what items may still be needed.
- If your group does this, I’d love feedback on how it went, how many bags you were able to make as a group and any lessons/tips you learned! Kyong A at [email protected]. May God mobilize us all!