"CALL THE POOR!"

Luke 14:12-14   (KJV)

"Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.  But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:  And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just."

Does " WEALTH" indicate GOD's favor in your life?  I continually hear a lot of television preachers claiming GOD will bless you if you send money to their ministry.  Our society tends to "give ear" to a wealthy man before ever considering what the man with little cash reserves has to offer.  Why do we place emphasis on the temporal?  Why not focus more on the ETERNAL?

JESUS exhibited a life that was/is focused on service rather than status.  HIS goal was to meet a spiritual need!  But, HE met physical needs in an effort to get people to "SEE" their spiritual needs.  HE exhibited that the spirit man was the part of man that needed to be nurtured, yet few follow HIS example.  We feel we have to have the biggest house, drive the nicest cars, eat at the finest restaurants, wear the newest clothes, and on and on, displaying how much GOD has blessed us.   

We live our lives at such a fast pace, we sometimes don't see the needs that are right before our eyes.  I am not talking about the people who "choose" to live in the despair and turmoil of poverty.   People can be unlearned and uneducated, yet still be successful.  My grandfather graduated from the fifth grade and could only write his name and little else.  Yet, he remains one of the wisest people I have been privileged to know.  He amassed considerable wealth, but always lived humbly.....within the means provided him.  

The people I am talking about "NEED" a hand UP, not a hand-out.  The government may try to do good, but the government cannot change a heart!  Programs can temporarily fill a need, but programs can't "FULFILL".  Programs can't give a sense of accomplishment you feel  when you are eating a meal YOU HAVE EARNED vs. eating a meal someone gave you.  

Everyone will have to answer for how they have used what GOD has blessed them with.  I pray when I stand before JESUS HIS response is "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." Matthew 25:21