Monday, January 26, 2009

A Grain of Rice

Since I was a tiny child, I have always had a heart for those in need. As a Christian, I am required to be so:

  • "He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done." Proverbs 19:17
  • "If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered." Proverbs 21:13
  • "He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God." Proverbs 14:31
  • "The LORD enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of his people: It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?' declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty." Isaiah 3:14-15

  • "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" Isaiah 58:6-7

  • "Jesus answered, If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" Matthew 19:21

  • "But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind." Luke 14:13

  • "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:17-18


Accordingly...

Help end world hunger


This is a meager attempt at helping others, to say the very least. But sometimes, even seemingly tiny acts can make an enormous difference in a person's life.

It's in this same frame of mind that I try doing tiny little acts of kindness for my students: sharpening someone's pencil for them, complimenting a new haircut, remembering their birthdays...all of these things little things can be a big to kids, especially if they have none of it to look forward to at home.

4 comments:

Afronuts said...

Wow...you almost made me do a morning devotional right there...lol.

Its such a coincidence that just after I've concluded a fasting and prayer exercise that you go ahead and remind me of it.

Thanks for the inspiration and link to various scriptures!

Retinna Bell said...

Awww.....thanks, man. I'm happy to know that you were blessed by it.

doug said...

I love your post "The old days machine".

I particularly like this line "neither intellectual ability, nor fluid use of cognitive capacity is an accurate representation of true intelligence".

You write very thoughtfully. Thanks for visiting my blog. I already know I'll be coming back here very often.

Are you Nigerian by any chance?

Retinna Bell said...

Hi, Doug! Thanks so much for the compliments. You have no idea how encouraging they are. Unfortunately, I am not sure which region of Africa my ancestors were from. They were taken into slavery. So, I'm known as African-American. But, who knows? I was thinking of taking a blood test.