For those of you new to Free Money Finance, I post on The Bible and Money every Sunday. Here's why.
Today I'm posting Proverbs 19:17, one of my favorite Bible verses. I've shared it before, but as I'm making my way through Proverbs I ran into it and couldn't help posting it yet again. From the NIV:
He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done.
Now the Contemporary English Version:
Caring for the poor is lending to the Lord, and you will be well repaid.
And finally from the Message:
Mercy to the needy is a loan to God, and God pays back those loans in full.
No commentary today, just a question: how are you kind to the poor?
How am I kind to the poor? I can't stand the poor and have absolutely no respect or compassion for them. Why should I? They are solely responsible for the situation they are in, not me. They are the ones who made the wrong decisions in life and ended up poor.
I worked hard, very hard, and got a solid college education, a very successful and rewarding career, and made the right decisions in my life. It's not my fault that the poor chose a path of being uneducated, unmotivated, and consistently accepted mediocracy throughout their sad life, instead of striving for excellence.
Remember, we were all created equal, but we are not all equal. Life is about making choices. Make the right ones.
Posted by: Me | March 10, 2013 at 10:01 AM
For having a solid college education, ur very ignorant.
Posted by: pam | March 10, 2013 at 10:52 AM
People are poor for a wide variety of reasons. Next time you see a poor person you might want to think that there are a variety of reasons that you might have ended up in that person's situation.
Some reasons include "Your health", "Your childhood", "Your genes", "Where you were born", "Decisions your parents made", "A bad accident", "A victim of a serious crime", "One decision that seemed good at the time but that ended badly".
Next time you see some poor person standing at the freeway on or off ramp holding up a cardboard sign you might think to yourself, "There but for the grace of God go I".
Posted by: Old Limey | March 10, 2013 at 01:04 PM
I like to look up words in the dictionary to look for different meaning. Here is the one that stood out to me.
poor=lacking a normal or adequate supply of something specified —often used in combination (poor in compasion for the poor)
So even though this is a money blog there are other avenues of being poor and not just money.
Lets us not grow rich in money but poor in spirit as with both we would be hollow.
Posted by: Matt | March 10, 2013 at 01:34 PM
@Me-
That is the worst comment I have ever seen. I pray that you never end up poor or that nothing bad happens to you that may affect your ability to earn income, etc. etc. You are one of the poor (in spirit, compassion, empathy, understanding). You are an example of how one can be very uneducated although having a college degree. I feel sorry for you.
Now to answer the question. As often as I can, I like to give, buy food, etc. for the poor. My desire is to reach a financial comfort zone where I am able to be a financial blessing to the poor and needy without being concerned about self. Currently, I support a ministry that I know gives and reaches out to the poor. My contribution isn't much (to the poor it is--I'm sure) but every little bit helps--so I'm told.
Posted by: Elizabeth | March 11, 2013 at 11:01 AM
Not really surprised to see Me's comment. Unfortunately I see a lot of that kind of thinking and attitude on Personal Finance blogs, but usually FMF is pretty free from such derogatory statements.
You should be thankful, Me, that you were, presumably, born into a lucky position. Be thankful you do not have a chronic illness or extreme health issue. Be thankful you were born in your country, and not a war torn region like Syria, or an area devastated by a natural disaster. Be thankful you had the inner strength and ability to make difficult decisions. And be thankful for luck, because we all get it to some degrees, and sometimes that makes a difference.
Posted by: KT | March 11, 2013 at 11:17 AM
When I see posts like those from me : I sometimes believe it is just a mis-guided teenager who wants to start a flame war, these posts are sort of like a crank call before the internet took over.
He definitely is a non-believer and sounds pretty miserable. Its also possible someone in his family is poor (brother, sister) and he loves that person and can't undestand why he, she did'nt have the strength as he did to overcome his "lot" in life.
Chris
Posted by: Chris | March 11, 2013 at 11:55 AM
I just assumed "Me" is joking. Kinda like the blog "ourdebtblog.com" - I'm pretty sure there's some normal guy behind it that's been writing spoof articles and comments for years (because really...nobody could be THAT clueless!). I'm impressed with his dedication to his farce.
Posted by: Jonathan | March 11, 2013 at 12:35 PM
I have a lot of compassion for the poor--why? because I grew up poor. I know how hard it is to get ahead in a systemic system of poor schools, bad jobs, not enough food,poor medical care, never enough money for even the basics, and crime everywhere you go. It's a miracle anyone is able to break out of the cycle, but people manage to do it, and I'm grateful for it. God will never, ever have to remind me to give to and care about the poor. I will always care!
Posted by: Peach | March 11, 2013 at 05:53 PM
"There but for the grace of god go I". I give when I can. I won't give money to a panhandler, as it will likely end up in a "bottle" but I do feel compassion for them. How far removed from them are any one of us? Misfortune can come in many different forms and I don't think many of us are but a few steps removed from being "poor"
Posted by: Jose | March 12, 2013 at 08:23 AM
Everyone should help poor without any expectations. God have not send us to this world to take care of our own but to help others who need the most.
Posted by: Ravi Ahuja | March 13, 2013 at 03:33 AM