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Welfare Ministry
eral Providence has placed in the hands of these Christians abundance
to supply their need. Let not the cries of the widow and fatherless call
down the vengeance of Heaven upon us as a people. In the professed
Christian world there is enough expended in extravagant display, for
jewels and ornaments, to supply the wants of all the hungry and clothe
the naked in our towns and cities; and yet these professed followers of
the meek and lowly Jesus need not deprive themselves of suitable food
or comfortable clothing. What will these church members say when
confronted in the day of God by the worthy poor, the afflicted, the
widows and fatherless, who have known pinching want for the mea-
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ger necessities of life, while there was expended by these professed
followers of Christ, for superfluous clothing and needless ornaments
expressly forbidden in the Word of God, enough to supply all their
wants?—
The Review and Herald, November 21, 1878
.
Neglect Not Those Close By—With every gift and offering there
should be a suitable object before the giver, not to uphold any in
idleness, not to be seen of men or to get a great name, but to glorify
God by advancing His cause. Some make large donations to the cause
of God while their brother who is poor may be suffering close by them,
and they do nothing to relieve him. Little acts of kindness performed
for their brother in a secret manner would bind their hearts together
and would be noticed in heaven. I saw that in their prices and wages
the rich should make a difference in favor of the afflicted and widows
and the worthy poor among them.—
Testimonies for the Church 1:194
.
God Hears Widow’s Prayer—The laws given to Israel guard
especially the interests of those who need help. “Thou shalt neither
vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of
Egypt. Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict
them in any wise, and they cry at all unto Me, I will surely hear their
cry; and My wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword;
and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.”
Let those in our churches and those who stand in position of re-
sponsibility in our institutions learn from these words how carefully
the Lord guards the interests of those who cannot help themselves. He
hears the cry of the widow for her fatherless children. He will surely
bring into judgment those who disregard the rules that He has laid
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down to shield them from harm.