If you want to live a successful life, the Bible offers some countercultural instruction: Serve the poor!  

One of Southland’s core values is “We generously extend hope to the poor”.  We believe that God has a special place in his heart for those on the margins of society. Much of Jesus’ ministry was directed to the poor and the helpless. The Early Church followed His example. They understood that the Gospel is all about giving and helping people spiritually and physically.

How can serving the poor help us be successful? The Bible gives us numerous reasons why this is so, but here are just a few of them:

• You are doing it for Jesus. Matthew 25:31-40. In the story when Jesus says, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,” the people He was talking to were surprised. They had done kind things when they saw people in need, but they didn’t realize they had been doing those things for Jesus. Jesus goes on to explain that when we do kind things for people in need, we really do those things for Him.
• You will be blessed and happy. Proverbs 21:14. Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.
• You will honor God. Proverbs 14:3. “Whoever mistreats the poor insults their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” Many think that people are poor through some fault of their own. This kind of reasoning makes it easy to close our hearts and hands to the needy. But we are not to invent reasons for ignoring the poor, rather we are to respond to their needs no matter who or what was responsible for their condition.

What can you do to help someone in need? During the month of April, we’re encouraging everyone at the Nicholasville Campus to serve with some key local organizations. There are opportunities ranging from outdoor projects to relational serving. Fill out this LINK below to get more information on some one-time serving opportunities. 

Gordon Walls | Campus Team