Helping the Poor. What Does the Bible Say?

THIS.....pray for those who have need in our Greater Montgomery area. God says to. We must be obedient to pray and then act on obedience. 


SPEAK UP FOR those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31:8-9

DO NOT EXPLOIT the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will take up their case and will exact life for life. Proverbs 22:22-23

DO NOT WITHHOLD good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you"—when you already have it with you. Proverbs 3:27-28

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25

IT IS A SIN to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy. Proverbs 14:21

WHOEVER OPPRESSES the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. Proverbs 14:31

WHOEVER IS KIND to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done. Proverbs 19:17

WHOEVER SHUTS THEIR EAR to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered. Proverbs 21:13 

THE GENEROUS WILL BE BLESSED , for they share their food with the poor. Proverbs 22:9
THOSE WHO GIVE to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses. Proverbs 28:27

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9
..............But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish. Psalm 9:18

Pray for Kids and Foster Families in Greater Montgomery

Many of you know that we adopted our 2 sons out of foster care. May is Foster Care Awareness month and I want to tell you why it is so important to foster children when they need a place to go.

This is our experience but holds true for so many kids.
1. Our boys were able to be with families who taught them how to be a healthy family member. Many children who are in foster care lived in chaotic homes where they didn't get to learn how to get along, how to cooperate and how to love without being hurt. Mine got that chance. By the time they were ready to be adopted, my boys, for the most part, had learned how to be a part of a family and cooperate with each other and with their new parents.

2. My boys were loved by their foster parents "as if" they were their own. That helped them learn to attach. Loving a kid and welcoming them into your home and letting them get attached actually "HELPS" them attach to their adopted family if they are adopted. If they are not placed for adoption, they learn that there are people in this world who can show them how to love the right way without it hurting.
3. My boys saw the siblings in their foster homes have goals and dreams that they had never had. Each our boys foster homes demonstrated how to have goals and dreams for their futures.
Here is the bottom line. Our boys BENEFITED from having foster parents who cared about them, who made them a full part of their family and showed them how to dream and have a future.
In Montgomery alone, according to the Department of Human Resources, there are currently 5000 children in foster care. They come from all kinds of situations. They need parental love from a healthy family. They need God's love more than anything. We were very fortunate that both of our boys had Christian foster parents who instilled the Truth in both boys. They laid the foundation for their coming to know the Lord in a personal way.

James 1:27 says this: "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you".

Here are some links if you might be interested in being a foster parents.
Montgomery County Dept of Human Resources
http://dhr.alabama.gov/s…/Foster_Care/Intro_Foster_Care.aspx
Alabama Baptist Children's Homes and Family Ministry
http://www.alabamachild.org/
Bobbi Olson is our Montgomery Social Worker and you can call her directly for more information. 334-430-7569
Alabama United Methodist Children's Homes
http://www.umch.net/foster-care.html

Pray this month for kids in foster care, for their birth parents to heal so they can be reunited and for foster parents to serve them through making them a full part of their family and help the kids heal as well.

Praying for Teachers in Greater Montgomery

One of our KEY FOCUSES in the Montgomery Baptist Association is on SCHOOLS. Hopefully, we pray for our schools, we hope you support your teachers and local schools as well. Did you know that you don't have to have a kid in one of our Montgomery public schools to be involved? If you live in that community, you can approach the administration and get involved.

Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week. That was an "official" appreciation week for teachers but every week can be teacher appreciation week for our churches/individuals, etc. 

What can you do to appreciate your teachers?
1. Pray for them. Pray that the Lord will guide and direct them as they teach and mentor students. Ephesians 5:15-17 "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is". 

2. Find out some needs they have and have your family, your church, your business meet those needs. 1 John 3:17 "But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?"

3. Encourage them. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing". 

Pray for our teachers. They DO affect us. I know each of us can name a teacher who has influenced us both positively AND negatively. Pray for teachers to be a positive influence on our children in the Greater Montgomery area.

Pray with Fervor!

Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: “Because you have prayed to me …The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this … For I will defend this city to save it, for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David” (Is. 37:21-22, 29, 32, 35).

People will pray about the warfare of world evangelization the way Hezekiah prayed when they are filled with the vision of God's inevitable triumph in world evangelization".  John Piper

Could we be like Hezekiah and pray with fervor our city?  Or in Jeremiah "Pray for the city to which I have sent you, for when it prospers in peace so will you". (Jeremiah 29:7)

This week is leading up to our National Day of Prayer. There are prayer gathering all over the USA. There are several going on in Montgomery.  This is a great time to renew your commitment to pray for "the city to which God sent you" the Greater Montgomery area.

1. Pray for hearts to be changed not only in individuals who don't know Him but for those who are in leadership in our state. Alabama has gotten itself into a pickle right now and there are many who will suffer because of the choices of those in leadership.

2. Pray for those who call themselves Christians to have heart change as well. We don't have it all together but if we allow the Lord to control our growth, we will see our world through HIS eyes and not our own.

3. Pray for those 5 major areas of need in our city and surrounding areas: Crime, Poverty, Race, Schools and Consumer Christians.