August 31 | Serving the Poor Serves Jesus | Hope Month 2025 | Dave Rodriguez

Humans were created to live in just, loving relationships. Because of our rebellion, however, we too often spread injustice instead. Systems of poverty deepen, preventable diseases spread, slavery is perpetuated, and the poor and marginalized are neglected. However, as with the other broken places, God cares deeply about bringing healing to injustice and desires for his children to heal it as well. As he says through the prophet Amos, “I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living” (Amos 5:24). What is truly remarkable, though, is the degree to which God identifies with those crushed by injustice. Nowhere is this clearer than the provocative teaching of Jesus in Matthew 25, where he claims that when his followers are serving the poor, they are actually serving Him! It’s a provocative invitation to make the work of God’s justice not just an occasional act, but a lifestyle.