WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
SEPTEMBER 16, 2026
TOPIC: GIVE TO THE POOR
BY T. O. BANSO
“For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, ‘Buy those things we need for the feast,’ or that he should give something to the poor.” (John 13:29, New King James Version).
Jesus should be the role model for every child of God. One of Jesus’ attributes we should seek to emulate is giving to the poor. Some people are only good at giving to the anointed men of God because they want to “tap the anointing” upon their lives or because the anointing upon them can provoke supernatural financial breakthroughs for them!
I’m not criticising giving to the servants of God; it is biblical. The Bible says that some women supported Jesus’ ministry financially (Luke 8:2-3). We need to support God’s servants financially to keep God’s work on earth going. It has its blessings. However, we must also not neglect giving to the poor; we should give to them regularly.
Giving to the poor was a regular practice in Jesus’ ministry. In John 13:21, Jesus told his disciples that one of them would betray Him. The disciples looked at one another, confused about whom He was referring to. When one of the disciples asked Him whom He was talking about, He said it was the person whom He would give a piece of bread after dipping it in the dish, and it was Judas Iscariot.
After the piece of bread, Satan entered him, and Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” No one at the table knew why Jesus said that to him. “For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, ‘Buy those things we need for the feast,’ or that he should give something to the poor.” (John 13:29, New King James Version). Note that in this scripture, one of the two things Jesus’ disciples assumed that He was talking about was that Judas, who was holding the purse, should go and give to the poor. If giving to the poor was not a regular practice, they wouldn’t have made that assumption, which on this occasion was wrong, as Jesus’ reference was to his betrayal by Judas.
There was another instance when giving to the poor was mentioned during Jesus’ earthly ministry. That was when Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, anointed Jesus’ feet with a pint of expensive perfume made from pure nard and wiped His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the oil (John 12:3). The disciples of Jesus were not pleased with this and complained about the waste (Matthew 26:8). As recorded in John 12:5, Judas said, “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” (Verse 5, New King James Version). Judas spoke for the other disciples, but he had a selfish motive.
John explains this in verse 6 about Judas: This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and had the money box, and he used to take what was put in it. But regardless of Judas’ selfish motive, the point to note is that Judas Iscariot spoke about selling Mary’s expensive perfume and giving the money to the poor—obviously because giving to the poor was a regular practice in Jesus’ ministry.
In Jesus’ reply to the condemnation of Mary’s action in preference to selling the oil and giving the money to the poor, He didn’t oppose giving to the poor. Rather, He supported what the Old Testament said about caring for the poor, but noted that Mary did what was urgent and right. “But Jesus said, ‘Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.’” (Verses 7-8, New King James Version).
There would always be poor people, as Jesus said, in alignment with Deuteronomy 15:10-11, which also says they should be cared for: “You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’” (New King James Version).
In Matthew 19, Jesus told the self-righteous young man who said he had kept all the commandments from his youth and wanted to know what he lacked in his quest to have eternal life, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (Verse 21, New King James Version). Notice that Jesus didn’t say that this man should go and sell everything he had and give all the money to His ministry. Rather, He said He should go and give the money to the poor.
Caring for the poor occupied a prominent place in Jesus’ ministry, just as God had commanded the Israelites to do. Their society was not supposed to be a survival-of-the-fittest, but one of being their brothers’ keepers. For example, that was why they were not to harvest everything in their fields but to intentionally leave some on the edges for the poor, strangers, widows, and fatherless to gather (Leviticus 19:9-10; Deuteronomy 24:19-21).
Unfortunately, the self-righteous young man in Matthew 19 went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. His wealth was his god, and that was why Jesus wanted him to give it away. It wasn’t that giving away all of one’s possessions is the key to eternal life. You can’t buy your way into eternal life or heaven.
Give to the poor. Jesus not only fed the multitude supernaturally in His ministry, but He also cared for the poor. Among other things, Jesus said in Luke 4:18, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.” (New International Version). Many Bible scholars agree that “the poor” in this verse refers to both the physically and spiritually poor.
Every Bible-based ministry or church, and individual Christian, should give to the poor who will never be able to repay them. Giving to the poor is giving to God. The leaders of the early church encouraged believers, including preachers, to remember or help the poor (Galatians 2:10). You have something that you can give to the poor. It is not only money.
According to Proverbs 19:17, “He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, and He will pay back what he has given” (New King James Version). When you give to the poor, you are indirectly giving to God, and He will repay you (Matthew 25:31-46). God does not default! Proverbs 28:27 says that those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses. Also, Proverbs 21:13 says, “Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.” (New International Version).
Cornelius, a Roman centurion, was a devout man who feared God with his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always (Acts 10:2). God didn’t forget him. One day, Cornelius saw an angel in a vision, which eventually led to his and his household’s salvation through the Apostle Peter. Part of Cornelius’ spiritual discipline was almsgiving. Salvation is not for sale. Giving alms cannot save anybody. No one can buy his way to heaven, but each spiritual discipline has its blessings.
Cornelius not only feared God, whom he did not see, but also showed kindness to the poor, whom he could see. 1 John 4:20 says, “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?” (New Living Translation). Cornelius did not limit his religious obligations to prayer; he also performed good deeds for the poor around him. Cornelius fasted, as he later told Peter in Acts 10:30, but also gave alms. The only religious discipline some people practise is praying and fasting, but there are other rewarding practices they must learn, including giving to the poor.
2 Corinthians 9:9 says, “As it is written: ‘He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever’” (New King James Version). This is a reference to Psalm 112:9. Give to the poor, but give out of love (1 Corinthians 13:3). Don’t give like the Pharisees, who were always seeking attention. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1-4, New International Version). Do not make your giving to the poor a public performance to gain attention. Focus on God, the rewarder, not human beings.
Give to the poor. God will repay you. “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25, New International Version).
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you must repent of your sins and confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour now. Please take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself, and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life—your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your heart. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising church. There, you will be taught how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner, and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me, and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I invite Jesus into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You must join a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising church where you will be taught how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: I will not shut my ears to the cry of the poor but help them. Holy Spirit, help me to refresh others, especially the poor, and I will be refreshed. I pray that all Christian ministries and individual Christians will not neglect giving to the poor.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
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