Proverbs 22 verses 22 and 23 says, rob not the poor because he is poor, neither oppress the afflicted in the gate. For the Lord will plead their cause and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them. We can see in this proverb that the Lord has a special place in his heart for the poor. Jesus expressed the heart of God toward the poor in Luke 6, 20 and 21, where we're told that Jesus was dealing with a multitude of needy people in the mountainous regions outside of Jerusalem. And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said, Blessed be ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now, for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now, for ye shall laugh. Now, this refers to poor people who are poor through no fault of their own. This isn't talking about the typical welfare recipient in Western countries who refuses to work for a living and just wants to live off government welfare programs. Paul reminded the Greek churches in 2 Thessalonians 3.10, for even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. But many are poor as a result of mental and physical disabilities. In third world countries, the poor suffer due to corrupt governments or the terrible consequences of living under satanic false religions like Hinduism, Islam, Roman Catholicism, Animism, Atheism and Humanism. God isn't talking about people who want to work and want to be self-sufficient, but for one legit reason or another can't do so. In Isaiah 41.17, the Lord told his people, when the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I, the Lord, will hear them. I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. And God's plan is to use those of us, his children, who are not poor, to then meet these needs many times. Those of us who have plenty should be looking for opportunities to help the truly poor. We saw this blessing for those who do in Proverbs 22, 9. He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed, for he giveth of his bread to the poor. That doesn't include giving cash to the homeless guy or homeless lady so they can buy more booze and illegal drugs and pay for prostitutes. That doesn't include voting for socialist government programs that enable the lazy. But we should be thankful for what we have been given, the plenty that most of us enjoy, while also then keeping an eye out for those who truly do need help. Psalm 41.1 is a Psalm of David, and it says, blessed is he that considereth the poor. The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. That's not just during Thanksgiving and Christmas, by the way. Although being generous and helping the needy is a good thing to do during the holidays, I'm not saying you shouldn't, but there are 363 other days of the year in which there are people in need. And we should prayerfully keep an eye out for helping those people in legit ways that will really help them and not enable them or even hurt them. And even if you see someone who's able-bodied and they're in need, you should approach them and be willing to give them short-term assistance as you do what you can, including prayer, for those who just need a job. And as long as you see them trying to find work, and you know they're putting a legitimate effort forth to find a job, then help them in the short term. a leg up and not a handout sort of thing. Support missions through your local church. A lot of missionaries are in very poor regions and if they had a little more money they could give food as our brother Dan Bardwell does in Ukraine. He wraps a chick track inside the cellophane on top of the cellophane of the sandwich and gives out the food with the track, that sort of thing. But you can locally support missions, and you can set up a food pantry in your church, and help legit missions in the inner city and other such things. The Lord cares about the poor, for the Lord will plead their cause. And those possessing His Holy Spirit, living in obedience to His word, should also plead the cause of the poor.