Walking with the Wise #221: Loving the Least

“The LORD tears down the house of the proud

but maintains the widow's boundaries.”
—Proverbs 15:25

God cares about people and He especially cares about disenfranchised people. As Christians, we are to love God with our entire heart, soul, mind, and strength (cf. Matthew 22:37), but we are also supposed to love our neighbors as ourselves (cf. Matthew 22:39). Loving God means loving others, and letting our love for Him flow through us to those around us—especially to those such as the widow and the orphan (cf. James 1:27).

Caring for the less fortunate is at the heartbeat of God’s desire for His people. He will tear down the house of the proud, because the proud person does not need God, but He will become an advocate for the widow, the orphan, the refugee, and the disenfranchised. We must make sure that we are not distracted by the proud, his accomplishments, wealth, status, power, or prestige. Because he will, like all men, will pass away, leaving his wealth behind. Nor should we fear man, because man can only kill us, he can’t hurt us, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe”—Proverbs 29:25. Our fear is the fear of the Lord, and we fear Him because we know that He has power over life and death and He alone has the ability to forgive us (cf. Matthew 10:28).

Don’t worry about the proud man who delights in wickedness, continue to pray for him that God would grant him repentance that leads to life (cf. Acts 11:18). Ask God to give you compassion for those of whom He has compassion. Ask the Lord to break your heart for the things that break His heart. He delights in having us do that for which He has planned, purposed, and purchased us to do—bring His name great glory for doing good works upon the earth, for His glory and our joy. Amen.