The Kingdom’s Table

Make a difference!

Thanksgiving is an important day because it allows us to say ‘thank you’ to GOD for all we have been given.

Give of yourself. Whether it’s helping out a neighbor or fellow church member in need or volunteering at a soup kitchen, serving others “makes our time more fulfilling and meaningful,” Even if you can’t give monetarily, giving of your time can be a blessing to others during the holiday season.

While service to people who are homeless begins with an individual commitment to Jesus’ call for compassion and justice, it is within the community of believers that this work can be truly effective.

Our Lord takes personally how we treat the poor. The fact is that many of us want to “help people in need , because of the good feeling it gives us. We are concerned about salving our consciences, not with whether our help has actually met their real long-term needs.

But true compassion gives people what they need, not just what they want. Our primary calling is not to help others (or ourselves) to feel good, but to help them see the love of GOD. Shoveling money and goods at people may help us and them—feel good for the short run. It takes more thought, time and commitment on our part and theirs—to help them do what is best in the long run. We cannot relate meaningfully to the poor when we are isolated from the poor. For some of us it’s a question of walking down the block and getting to know the poor. For others it’s driving twenty miles to find a homeless person.

Caring for the poor is a sobering responsibility for which we will all be held accountable. If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered” (PROVERBS. 21:13). We must seek to help the poor in the right way, but above all we must help them in some way. Helping the poor and homeless is not a peripheral issue. GOD links our efforts for the poor directly to our relationship with Him. Everyone have a blessed day and may the peace of the LORD be with you .