Creating opportunities for the poor

Today: Leviticus 19-21

Last night I saw my church's annual production Scrooge the Musical for about the billionth time (no lie--I've probably seen it annually since I was about four--back when my family didn't even attend the church that produced it!). Like many of Charles Dickens' works, "A Christmas Carol" tackles issues like poverty, greed and the exploitation of the poor (in Dickens' writing, it's often children--ala Tiny Tim).

Have you ever thought about how the poor are exploited today?

I realize that's a big, loaded question. But I think that, like in Dickens' time, it's because of greed. It's greed that causes companies to think so much about the bottom line that they outsource labor to people (sometimes children) in developing countries, paying pennies on the dollar for hard work. It's greed that keeps people saying, "I don't have enough to give" to non-profits (and the people who benefit from their donations), while simultaneously filling their homes with more "stuff" they don't need. And it's greed that keeps many of us from thinking about how we can really help the poor...not just through donations, but by creating jobs for those who are able to work.

I thought this part of today's reading was interesting:

When you harvest your land,

don't harvest right up to the edges of your field

or gather the gleanings from the harvest.

Don't strip your vineyard bare

or go back and pick up the fallen grapes.

Leave them for the poor and the foreigner.

I am God, your God.

This idea is interesting for a few reasons--God was teaching His people to be unselfish, to leave a portion of their crops (their wealth) for the poor to harvest. However, the poor weren't given the grain that the owners had already harvested. They had to go out and glean the fields themselves.

If you own a business or work for one, think about what the "gleanings" from your organization could be. What's a task or an untapped revenue source that could be an opportunity for the poor? I believe that if you (or your company) think creatively about what you can do to innovate and build opportunities for others, you will reap some rewards. The rewards might come from God in eternity or in other areas of your life. But once you start thinking creatively, I think our Creator is big enough to give you other ideas to build your business...

Tomorrow: Leviticus 22-23

Offerings from the poor

Today: Leviticus 14-15

All right--so today was another one of the Leviticus passages with more laws and instructions. I hope you're sticking with me (and this reading project we're on together) because these are the kinds of passages that test our persistence. :)

One of the things that I noticed today was God's instruction for poor people giving offerings. (See these verses for example.) Did you notice that? It was interesting to me because God didn't say, "Well, if you're poor, you don't need to bring anything." He also didn't say, "If you're poor and can't afford the offerings, too bad. You can't be clean before Me." And He didn't say, "If you're rich, give some of your extra money to the poor, so that they can give offerings to Me." Interesting, huh?

God's system of giving is really unique and pretty cool, I think. He asks that we all do our part. He wants us to be obedient. But He does not ask us to give more than we're capable of giving...and He doesn't ask us to take on the responsibility of giving on behalf of others. No--each of us is responsible. We have an opportunity to give the best we can. And He deserves our giving, our effort and our hearts.

Tomorrow: Leviticus 16-18