Loving the PoorMuestra

Loving the Poor

This plan is part of a series called “Follower,” about what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. What does it mean to follow in His footsteps and to live a life as He lives? Through this plan, I want to share with you how Jesus ministered to the poor. And how we, as followers of Christ, can minister to the poor as well. 

How did Jesus respond to those who could not be a blessing back to Him, who did not have the resources to help Him out? You should know from the very beginning, that having more money in your wallet does not give you any more dignity before God. It does not give you any less standing before God if you do not have a lot of money. We have all been made in God’s image. That is what gives us value.

Something that was a real blessing to me was that we had women in our church befriend a woman who was homeless. Her name was Melissa; she stayed underneath the bridges on I-10. We began to minister to and care for her. She became part of the church and would sit with the women. I got to know her. I would drive underneath the bridge, roll down my window and ask, “Melissa, how are you doing?”

She would yell back, “Pastor! How are you?”

And all of the homeless people would be like, “He’s your pastor? What church do you go to?”

We became friends with her. It was just a wonderful thing. So, I pulled up one day, and she had a gentleman with her. I told them I had a little time on my hands and asked if I could take both of them to lunch. They loved the idea, jumped in my car, and I drove to McDonald's. Now, I am not saying you should allow any stranger or homeless person in your car; we had built a relationship for some time already. Quite frankly, it was a lunch different from the usual ones I have day to day. I sat across from this couple and got to know more about them and their life. We talked, and it was a blessing to my life. Although they are not the usual people I hang out or eat lunch with, I sat there realizing what a true blessing they both were. A couple who could not buy me anything blessed my life. 

Have you ever experienced a blessing from people who could not give you anything else? We are called to love everyone, including the poor.