“When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous,” Luke 14:13-14 (NIV). Jesus taught us the value of blessing the needy. This is another example of God’s promise to make everything more than fair one day. People naturally focus on the benefits they will receive in this life. Those who are wealthy, influential or talented usually receive more benefits than others. But Jesus promises that God will repay our good deeds, including blessing the needy, with eternal rewards. Ephesians 6:8 promises: “The Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do” (NIV). This destroys all natural human calculations! Instead of trying to gather prominent people around us and receiving the benefits from the group, it is better to bless people who are not prominent and can’t bless us. Thus, we are all free to bless anyone without wondering if it’s worth it. It is always worth it.
Of Dourse, our primary motivation for blessing the needy is our love for them. But when we waver or when it’s difficult, it’s helpful to remember that God will reward us.
Have you been blessing the needy lately? What might you do? Do you look forward to the reward from God for blessing the needy?
