Successful People Help the Poor - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - October 26, 2017

Successful People Help the Poor
By Rick Warren

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8-9 NIV).

If you want to live a successful life, the Bible offers some countercultural instruction.

Serve the poor!

How could serving the poor help us be successful?

The Bible gives us numerous reasons why this is so, but here are just a few of them:

● It’ll make you happy. “If you want to be happy, be kind to the poor; it is a sin to despise anyone” (Proverbs 14:21 GNT).

● You’ll honor God. “Whoever mistreats the poor insults their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God”(Proverbs 14:31 NCV).

● It’ll make you a better leader. “Leadership gains authority and respect when the voiceless poor are treated fairly” (Proverbs 29:14 The Message).

I’ve seen this in my own life. Some of you know my story. When I wrote The Purpose Driven Life, the book became a huge global success. It’s been translated into 137 languages.

And when you write a book with the first line of “It’s not about you,” it’s pretty easy to realize that any money or influence that came from it wasn’t meant for me. So, among other decisions Kay and I made at the time, we started Acts of Mercy, a foundation to help the poor and the vulnerable suffering with AIDS.

The book’s success was not about me; it was all about God.

>Proverbs 31:8-9 particularly spoke to me during this time: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy” (NIV).

That’s what successful people do. They stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.

PLAY today ’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>

Talk It Over

Why do you think it’s so important that successful people help the poor and stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves?

How have you seen successful people in your life help the poor and the defenseless?

What can you do to more faithfully help the poor?

For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!

Unshakeable! Study Kit

You Can Thrive In Every Circumstance

Do you want to thrive in every circumstance? In the Bible, Daniel and his friends rose to top positions of leadership because they were unshakeable in their faith even though they were surrounded by a corrupt culture. Today, the world’s value system increasingly drifts further from God. To thrive, no matter what, you need to dive into scripture and learn how to be unshakeable in your faith.
In the 9-part DVD study kit, Unshakable: Thriving No Matter What Hits You, Pastor Rick helps you walk through scripture and learn how to …

• Stand strong when your world is shaken

• Stay firm when your pressured to conform

• Be bold when your beliefs are belittled

• Be confident when you’re asked to do the impossible

• Stay cool when the heat is on

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