“When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.”
I love seeing people thrive. I like, most of you, find it breaks my heart to see people struggle with finding their next meal or paying their next bill. Years in youth ministry taught me to notice those who may be on free or reduced lunch programs, struggling to have a jacket in the winter or a clean shirt every day. You must really be wicked not to want others to do well. Some people are known for putting others down rather than looking for ways to improve themselves. This is also a sign of wickedness. Over the years, I have watched people thrive and bring others with them, never seeing it as a threat. Those folks are a special blessing, not only to others but to God’s kingdom and ultimately to themselves. It seems the less selfish someone is about such things, the more God blesses them and those around them. The abundance of needs we see today is partly because the church has not stepped up to its responsibility of taking care of others. We may disagree on which political policies help people to thrive or cause them to struggle, but it was ever intended that the government and politics should be the driving force behind meeting needs. I believe the reason the government has stepped into that role is because the church has not taken its responsibility to look after the poor and the needy seriously enough. I certainly believe that scripture teaches if you don’t work, you shouldn’t eat—a principle that may have slipped away from us at times in our culture as well. The bottom line is, let’s work to help one another thrive. Today, let’s be generous, and let’s live a righteous journey and celebrate those who do as well. #BeTheEdge
“All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.” Galatians 2:10 NIV
