The Poor Will Be With You Always

John 12:8  8The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” Jesus knew that there would always be the poor, those in need of assistance in this life.  In fact he talked quite often about giving to the poor and not hoarding away resources to make yourself wealthy. When we think about the poor, do we have a clear picture of who the poor are?  If you ever go to a third world country you would have a different definition of poverty based upon what you see. In the United States, poor is a term used when people don't have the kind of material resources that most American have. For example look at this study from the Heritage Foundation. “To the average American, the word ‘poverty’ implies significant material deprivation, an inability to provide a family with adequate nutritious food, reasonable shelter, and clothing,” the study from The Heritage Foundation states. The Census Bureau reports that there are 43 million Americans living in poverty. To help them, taxpayers spend some $900 billion a year in federal and state dollars — over $20,000 for each person deemed poor — through more than 70 means-tested programs providing cash, food, housing, medical care and more. The household had a car — one-third had two or more cars — two color televisions, a DVD player, and a microwave. “The home of the average poor family was in good repair and not overcrowded,” the study observes. “In fact, the typical poor American had more living space than the average European — average, not poor. “When asked, most poor families stated they had sufficient funds during the past year to meet all essential needs.” Poverty in American is a comparison between the have's and the have nots. It is true that many poor families use a food shelf once a month, and they may even get clothing from a consignment store, but being poor in America is different than being poor in India, or in Africa.  Poverty in God's eyes is a different comparison too.  He requires those who have to help those who do not have.  The Old Testament gleaning is a great example of how we are to help the poor, it's not giving them things, it is giving them an opportunity to get what they need by working for it. Instead of spending the Billions of dollars for welfare programs where we give them money and food, why not give the able body persons of a family the opportunity to fill in pot holes, pick up trash in city parks and streets, and build a sense of dignity for the help they receive. I know it takes money to administrate a work for resource program, but it would give people an opportunity to work through their issues of generational poverty, and earn what they receive. It's much healthier for the person.   Defining poverty however goes beyond just the material, or physical need. The poorest people aren't people without things, they are people without hope, and without faith. Poor people are those who believe in themselves, their accomplishments, their treasures, and resources. Anyone is poor without the treasure of having faith in the one who makes one rich.  Jesus Christ came into this world to make us rich, not in material goods, but in spiritual hope and promise.  The poor will always be with us, because unbelief is with us.  Keeping it honest and truthful...K