Christian Living
A Good Nigerian felt empathy for a beggar she sees on her way to work each morning. She thought to herself that this guy is not exactly handicapped in anyway, he had complete and functional limbs. The only obvious limitation was that he limped on crutches on one leg….”He could at least operate a sewing a machine’…
So one day, she stopped by this beggar and offered to buy him a sewing machine as well as sponsor him to learn sewing at a Tailoring Outfit. But to her surprise, the guy turned down the offer, preferring his begging job to gaining tailoring skills!
That is not the beggar described in Luke 16: 19-21
That portion of scripture does NOT also refer to the beggar I saw on my way to work one morning fully engrossed in straightening out and counting notes of money most likely accrued from the previous day’s ‘job’. Like a male lizard, he has defined his begging territory and all other beggars in the neighborhood knew the boundary! I could see no obvious limiting deformity on him to necessitate his chosen career.
Lazarus was nothing like the strong, healthy looking ‘beggars’ I’ve described above.
It is a bad thing to be unable to provide for your basic needs and resort to begging, nobody wants to be in that state. But it is worse to be the beggar with generalized body sores that are obviously open and have become nesting spots for flies.
“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table.” (The Maxwell Leadership Bible).
Dogs are such beautiful pets and I admire them from afar but please don’t give one to me as a gift! All attempts by my children to convince me to buy a puppy as pet have continuously failed. They have my blessings to build dog house(s) in their personal homes as adults and grow as many dogs as they like. Only thing is, nobody should expect me to come over for ‘Omugwo’ (babysitting) except all dogs are nicely chained out of sight!
So maybe you can appreciate my difficulty with understanding how one can be so poor, sick and disabled to the point that dogs licked his sores. If Lazarus had a phobia for dogs like I do, then he must have been further tortured with each lick…..
I have not seen a beggar in such deplorable state of health as Lazarus in my entire life. Oh! but I have certainly seen poor widows struggling with 2 kids without a husband around to help and they celebrate a $10 gift as though they won a lottery. I have come across a young lady with 2 preteens and a toddler, who helps working mums with grocery shopping for a small fee, just to make ends meet because her husband has just suffered a temporary setback at work. Any additional money she receives just lightens her mood. I have also been in a group where a sick, homeless, and sexually abused teenage boy is picked off the streets and given hope, improved health and better outlook on life.
I have come across young women almost walking naked to Church either because they cannot afford or would not buy decent clothing to cover up properly and find that they can actually dress decently if someone provides decent clothing for them. I have met the brother whose wife is about to go in for a surgery and they have no money. He becomes more confident in his faith in God to provide when a surprising credit alert hits his bank account from another brother.
I have met the woman whose baby died in-utero and as if that was not bad enough, the doctors tell her she needs to have a C-Section to deliver the fetus! Not only does she not have the money for the surgery, she is at the brink of becoming depressed just thinking about her ordeal. Her faith is encouraged when someone stands in the gap for her in prayer and also helps clear her hospital bill.
I have also met the father of 2 who is looking for assistance with his children’s fees, only to realize that the fees for the 2 kids is not more than $20. I have met some young men, fully committed in Church and growing daily in their knowledge of God, but who sometimes have a little challenge paying their transport fare to church. A little cash in their pocket will go a long way in ensuring they make it to Church regularly so that the Word and apply helps their faith to believe for a more secured future!
There is a Lazarus at your gate!! Have you located him/her?
The reason Lazarus was located at the rich man’s gate was because those that dropped him there knew the rich man had the required resources to help him.
You can help someone in genuine need today, and that someone is located at your gate (around you). Do you part, God is counting on you.
Shalom!
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Blessings & Love Always!
