Suffering, resurrection and Christian love – day 14

Today, we read about a Jew called Tabitha. Her Greek name was Dorcas. She may have had two names because she was known among both Jews and Greeks for her good deeds. As far as she was concerned, there were no upper and lower class people. There was no language or cultural differences. Everyone loved her. Her charitable work was a universal language that echoed all over. Her message was a gospel that knew no bounds. What is more remarkable is that Luke writes that everyone knew she was a woman of faith who lived out Jesus’ love. We can conclude, then, that she was well known even among non-believers. If you spoke of helping the poor, orphans and people who were suffering, her name immediately popped into people’s minds, because everyone knew her for her actions. It was probably why Luke used her as an example of how a Christian actually looks and lives!

The Lord gives us the clear instruction that we must care for the poor. There are many examples in the Bible that testify that the care of and provision for the poor and helpless is the hallmark of a true believer.

The gospel of Jesus is reaches the poor by caring for them and sharing the message of salvation with them. The Bible Society has a special project where thousands of Bibles are made available to the poorest of the poor, free of charge. Audio Bibles are also provided free of charge to illiterate people. These projects reach out to poor people along with other resources such as literacy programmes. You can also bring the gospel to these people by contributing to the Bibles for the poor project.