Part Three of our new Missions Matter Series, come back each week to find out more about serving those around your home and community as well as around the world. God has given us the power to be His witnesses! Start today…

By Heather Radu-

If I said the word “prophet,” what picture comes to mind? Maybe a man in a robe and a long beard. What is that prophet doing in your mind? When most of us think of prophecy we think of telling the future. We think about things like Jesus returning and being totally free from sin. But prophets had another important job, didn’t they?

If you read through the Old Testament, most of the prophets brought messages about God’s judgment. People were doing things they shouldn’t be doing and worshiping things that shouldn’t be worshiped. But you know, I was surprised to find out one thing that really grabs God’s attention (in a not-so-good way). Oppressing the poor!

In Zechariah God says, “do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”  In Malalchi those who oppress the poor are listed right along sorcerers and adulterers. So God takes this sort of thing very seriously. In fact, in Psalm 68 God says he is the protector of widows, who were very likely to be poor in that culture.

In the past I’ve written about getting out and serving the poor in your community. I know there are opportunities in your town just like there are in mine. But what I want to do today is ask you if you have the same heart as God for the poor. When the poor were treated badly, God went prophets to let people know he was not going to put up with it.

I want to encourage you, if you are a business owner, to think about the poor in your community when you do business. How can the way you run your business help the poor, or at least avoid hurting them? God cares about the people who are the most vulnerable in our world, so I encourage all of you—follow his lead!