Living lives of compassion for the poor
by Craig Heidenreich
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Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous (Psalm 112:4).
It is comforting to reflect on the promises of this psalm and that the righteous will never be shaken. Hopefully, that has been your experience.
We live in an era when many Christians seek to uphold standards of righteousness in our fallen world. They highlight issues like abortion and euthanasia or sex education for children as moral battlegrounds and attempt to win through politics.
What sort of Christianity does this reveal to the world? Do people experience compassion when in the company of these groups?
This psalm contains three statements I believe describe what it means to be ‘upright’. Verse five says they are ‘generous and lend freely’, and ‘they conduct their affairs with justice’. Then verse nine gives another clue, ‘they have freely scattered their gifts to the poor’.
I believe this psalm describes a righteousness shown in how the person treats the ‘needy’.
I recently heard a politician say that there are about 3000 passages in Scripture on how we treat the poor in our society – implying that this motivated her in her political life.
If we are honest, it is easier to focus on an issue that will not cost us much personally when our focus should be closer to home.
Verse four speaks of light dawning on those who live a ‘gracious and compassionate life’. That is a goal worth pursuing!
Thank you, Lord, for your daily protection. Thank you for blessing us even when we don’t deserve it. Help us be gracious and compassionate people who freely scatter gifts to the poor – you are our supply. Amen.
Craig enjoys making friends with people from other countries and trying to learn a few words of greeting in their languages. He says it’s fun to see the joy on a person’s face to hear their mother tongue. When he has some spare time, he is happy renovating the home he recently purchased in Kapunda, South Australia.
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