Who are the Poor?

Jesus spoke, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free”—Luke 4:18

In the past when I have read the above scripture, I thought literally. I equated poor with having no money. Freedom was for the prisoners who are incarcerated and sight to the blind was for those who physically couldn’t see. As I have grown in my faith, I now understand that helping the poor isn’t just about those who don’t have money. It is also about those who are poor in spirit. Freedom isn’t just for those in a physical prison but for Jesus’ forgiveness for our sins. It frees us so we are no longer in bondage to them. Jesus giving us sight is not just for those who are physically blind but for those who are spiritually blind.

As Christians, we have an opportunity to change the world by sharing the love of Jesus. Luke 4:18 are Jesus’ words to us. Jesus came to save lost souls, offer forgiveness from our sins and open our eyes to Him so we can be set free. His desire is for us to have the same passion to minister this message to our broken and hurting world. 

I reference the song, Amazing Grace A LOT. I can’t help it. When I hear the words, I can definitely relate to them; “I was blind but now I see.” No, I wasn’t physically blind, but I was spiritually blind. Not just that, I was also poor in spirit and a prisoner to thoughts that I kept captive in my mind. Your spirit can be poor not just spiritually but emotionally and relationally as well. Praise Jesus, I was lost but now I am found.

It is easy to be bound by past sins and mistakes we have made. Letting go of the past is hard to do if you have let it define who you are. As a young widow, I had to make a choice. I led and facilitated a support group for a couple of years but there came a point when it was time for me to pass on the torch to someone else. 

Unfortunately, the group eventually dissipated, which made me sad, but God was leading me elsewhere. As long as I was leading that group, I couldn’t fully be in a committed relationship with another man. I knew it wasn’t fair for someone else to have to compete with me leading a weekly support group talking about my late husband. God was closing that door and opening others where He could use my time and talents in other ways to share His love.

I don’t have to volunteer on mission trips to third world countries or prison ministries to share the Gospel message. I can do that right here where I live. As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit within us, which gives us the power to accomplish unimaginable things; including giving us the strength, words and wisdom to minister to those that are spiritually starved and without hope.  God can use each and every one of us right where he has placed us to be a light to someone else.

Dear Lord, 

Thank You that You don’t ever give up on Your children. No matter how lost we might be, Your desire is for us to find You. Only You can set us free from our past. I give You praise for the Christians You put in my life who prayed for me and led me to being saved. Let me be that person to someone else. I ask for you to open my eyes to those that are spiritually blind. Use me to reflect Your love to others this week. It is in the name of Jesus that I pray these things. Amen.

June Memory Verse

“It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.” –2 Corinthians 3:5 (NLT) 

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