"For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: 'If a man will not work, he shall not eat.' " (2 Thessalonians 3:10 NIV) The Gainesville Sun carried an interesting front-page article on June 19, 2006 about the gargantuan price tag of looking after prisoners in the state of Florida. The article featured a program where inmates do work outside of the prison. One example was inmates harvesting vegetables from a field of unpicked rutabagas. A farmer in Bradford County had donated the vegetables to help some needy families who receive aid from The Children's Table. The prisoners provided the labor and the poor people received the food. I hope they also received some tips on how to cook the rutabagas.
One big question jumps out when you ponder over the material in this article. Why don't the poor people themselves go out and pick the vegetables that are so graciously donated to them? It is wonderful that prison inmates are able to do something constructive which might even help them reform their lives. Nevertheless, the poor people also need to receive the benefit of working for the food they receive.
Our community regularly receives the benefit of prison labor. Even as I'm writing this article we have some female prisoners doing some clean up work at the cemetery. They are also seen around town doing things like raking leaves and sweeping up the curbs. We are all sincerely grateful that these individuals have this opportunity to work outside of confinement and perform some rewarding work. We also recognize that these same jobs could be given to some of our own Cedar Key teenagers. Many of them suffer the confinement of an empty home without much hope of employment.
No one can dispute the fact that it is rare whenever we see a skinny poor person these days. We might possibly see a child who is deprived of food because of neglectful parents or guardians. When we watch the news about starving people in poverty ridden third world countries, we never see pictures of families that look like they are preparing to become Japanese Sumo wrestlers.
However, the food stamp induced overweight poor people in America are a bad joke to the truly poor of this world. When we see grossly overweight people waiting in line to receive more free food at food banks in the area, we should all be ashamed of ourselves for the way we are abusing our own legacy as a Christian nation. The Bible teaches us to work for our bread. That is our heritage and we must get back to our roots. God has always commanded his people to be sensitive to the needs of the poor. "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. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God." (Leviticus 19:9-10 NIV)
Some of the local area old-timers have shared experiences with me about times when local farmers would literally follow this wise practice to help the poor. They told how farmers would leave areas of melons and peanuts on the edges of the field so that poor people could come and harvest what they needed. Moreover, I have been told that some fishermen would allow poor people to enjoy part of their catch just by showing up on the docks when the fishing boats came in. Nowadays, many of the poor would cringe at the idea of having to clean the fish. They want food that is pre-cooked and pre-masticated. The practice of allowing the poor to harvest what they eat is a dignified approach to helping the poor. In this way, poor people can work to earn their own living. God expects us all to use wisdom in distributing help to the poor among us. We should do nothing that contributes to an attitude among poor people that the rest of the world owes them charity. After all, charity is an act of love. We all know you cannot force people to love you. By the same token, poor people should not learn to flimflam their way in life by appealing to the good consciences of people of goodwill.
There is a system in place already to help the poor. In the first place, families should take care of their own indigent. What has happened to families in our country? Many do not care anymore about their parents and grandparents who need help. God has always insisted that families care for their own needy relatives. One example of this is found in 1 Timothy 5:3-16. The reason for this instruction is because some pretend to be poor and abuse the generous offerings of their neighbors.
The Word of God is abundantly clear in its message that God cares for the genuine poor of this world. In the Old Testament, we have a picture of God as the Father of the poor widows, orphans and aliens. "He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing." (Deuteronomy 10:18 NIV) In the New Testament, concern for the poor is a major hallmark of the teaching and examples of Christ. James gave a definition of religion that includes concern for the poor. "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27 NIV) Wherever the Gospel goes in this world, the resulting Christians will be people who are concerned about the poor. To be a disciple of Christ means that there is always much work to do in helping the poor. Jesus said: "The poor you will always have with you..." (Matthew 26:11a) The greatest rewards in this life come from doing good to others. There is no shame before God in being poor. There is no glory before God in being rich.
When we commit our lives to sincerely follow Christ it means we are ready to roll up our sleeves and go to work. We must be willing to do good to all men, especially other Christians. (Galatians 6:10) Part of doing good deeds is helping to educate able-bodied poor people about the benefits of work.
You are encouraged to attend the services of the Church of Christ at the corner of 3rd and E Streets. Write me with any questions or comments. David Binkley, Sr., P.O. Box 186, Cedar Key, FL 32625 or E-mail at dgbinkley@aol.com. Please visit our web site at www.cedarkeychurchofchrist.com. | 