The Hungry

Leviticus 25:35 (NIV) "If one of your countrymen become poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you."

The Lord was speaking to my heart today while on the mail route. Between today and tomorrow we are putting cards in all the mail boxes telling everyone of the USPS Food drive coming up here, this Saturday May 8. Yes, it is nationwide. He brought this verse to mind.

Matthew 25:35 (NIV) "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,"

And I have actually seen this happened. When I first started at the Post Office 5 years ago, I did a route that had farm fields and there was a farmer who didn't plow the edge of those fields. I saw zucchinis, squash and other vegetables all along the way and I remembered this verse.

Leviticus 23:22 (NIV) "When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God."

I truly thought it was neat that a farmer of today would leave the edges for whomever. I just smiled and thought of God and how he revealed that to me. But there will always be people who have needs. It is not for us to question their circumstances but to help them out. Especially in today's economy, for how many people lost jobs in the last 2 years and aren't making ends meet? Too many to count for me but they need help.

Deuteronomy 15:11 (NIV) There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.

This is telling me the Lord is commanding me to open my hand to these people and if giving a few cans of goods to help feed them is the way, then that is what I am going to do. I enjoy this day of the food drive for I enlist my family to help me and we do it together even though they follow behind me collecting cans while I deliver the mail. I feel blessed when I do this and I pray my family feels the same way too. I know my kids enjoy it.

Proverbs 22:9 (NIV) A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

We Christians will get a reward for opening up our hands or cupboards. It doesn't have to be a whole bunch, it could be just 2 or 3 cans, or a box of cereal or what ever nonperishable food you find. Please be sure that it's not expired.

Proverbs 19:17 (NIV) He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.

And back in Matthew 25, those of us who have read it knows what Jesus was talking about when he talked about being hungry and thirsty. I'd like to think that I did feed Jesus and gave him a drink when He was thirsty because I am helping to feed the hungry. I pray that He is pleased with me.

But I do ask all of you to just put a few cans or what ever in your mail boxes on Saturday May 8 and help feed those that are hungry. Let your mail boxes over flow with goodness this Saturday. Blessings to you all.