3 Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy. 4 Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked.
We must remember we are Christ’s hands and feet in this world, and to do what He would do to care for those in need. 1 Cor.12:12: “Just as a body, though one, so it is with Christ.” And in Matt. 25:40: “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
We are called by the Spirit and led to do Christ’s and the Lord’s will in all things, and to listen for His guidance just as Paul did in Acts 18:9: “One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.’” We must have a clear mind for what our Lord, and the word of the Lord, tells us is the job description for a Christian and soldier of Christ.
Our manner should be as Hebrews 4:16 says: “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us and others in our/their time of need.” (Underlined words are my additions.) Our call to be caregivers many times comes from the suffering we have known and our knowledge that someone once came to us in our need and loved us as Jesus does. There are many ways of service; all are important, no matter how great or how small, so do not attempt to measure or disparage yours or anyone else’s work for Christ.
By His grace,
Elain Heskamp