Proverbs 21:13, “If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.”
This verse literally jumped up at me, and I thought about how being attentive to the cry of the poor leads to the “much more” life. Jesus himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive”.1 The bible also instructs us specifically to minister to the poor.2 All around the world, the poor are crying out for help − to educate their children, to feed their hungry, to break their cycle of poverty, to empower them to rise up and stand on their own feet, and eventually to put them on the giving side. That’s the vision for our work in Timor Leste – to raise up future leaders of the nation from Shallom School, who will be poised to give back to the society one day.
Take a pause now and reflect with me. When was the last time you went to bed hungry? Do you know how many people would go to bed hungry tonight? The United Nations estimates the number to be 850 million. During the recent trip to Timor, I was reminded that many people, including the children who attend school at Shallom, eat only one meal a day. As you can imagine, many in Timor would go to bed hungry tonight. What then is the answer? I believe that you and I are God’s answer to the cry of the poor in our generation. It is a cry we cannot ignore.
Last Christmas, my family decided to start an annual tradition to give 50% of the money we would spend on Christmas gifts to the poor or disadvantaged. This means that instead of a $100 gift intended for my son, he chooses something that is $50.00 and gives the other $50.00 away.
We can make a difference today. You can give generously when Agape Baptist takes up our annual missions offerings in a few weeks’ time, or even participate right here in Singapore via Share UR meal and feed the poor program at www.wix.com/shareurmealsg/home.
Ps Thomas Lim
___________________________________________________________________
1 Acts 20:25
2 Deut 15:11, proverbs 14:21, Proverbs 22:9 & Acts 10:4
This verse literally jumped up at me, and I thought about how being attentive to the cry of the poor leads to the “much more” life. Jesus himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive”.1 The bible also instructs us specifically to minister to the poor.2 All around the world, the poor are crying out for help − to educate their children, to feed their hungry, to break their cycle of poverty, to empower them to rise up and stand on their own feet, and eventually to put them on the giving side. That’s the vision for our work in Timor Leste – to raise up future leaders of the nation from Shallom School, who will be poised to give back to the society one day.
Take a pause now and reflect with me. When was the last time you went to bed hungry? Do you know how many people would go to bed hungry tonight? The United Nations estimates the number to be 850 million. During the recent trip to Timor, I was reminded that many people, including the children who attend school at Shallom, eat only one meal a day. As you can imagine, many in Timor would go to bed hungry tonight. What then is the answer? I believe that you and I are God’s answer to the cry of the poor in our generation. It is a cry we cannot ignore.
Last Christmas, my family decided to start an annual tradition to give 50% of the money we would spend on Christmas gifts to the poor or disadvantaged. This means that instead of a $100 gift intended for my son, he chooses something that is $50.00 and gives the other $50.00 away.
We can make a difference today. You can give generously when Agape Baptist takes up our annual missions offerings in a few weeks’ time, or even participate right here in Singapore via Share UR meal and feed the poor program at www.wix.com/shareurmealsg/home.
Ps Thomas Lim
___________________________________________________________________
1 Acts 20:25
2 Deut 15:11, proverbs 14:21, Proverbs 22:9 & Acts 10:4
