By Whoever despises his neighbour is a sinner,
Proverbs 14:21
but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.
The poor surround us in a variety of forms. Some of the poor are so because of severe drug abuse and even the police publish articles in the papers at times asking the public to refrain from giving them money. On the other hand, some are poor because they have been exploited by others or have been met by severe misfortune in spite of their honest character.
Proverbs 14:21 cuts through it all and addresses a heart issue. When a believer in God sees a poor, there may be no despising of that person for being poor. Instead, there must be a generous spirit. Even if nothing is given to a particular poor individual because of the local government’s attempt to save them from drug abuse, the sin of despising a man because he is poor must be put away. Instead, be generous. Give to the poor out of a generous spirit. Do not give from a superior-I’m-helping-you attitude, but with a cheerful and left-hand-not-knowing-what-the-right-hand-is-doing (Matthew 6:3) generosity.
Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,
Proverbs 14:31
but he who is generous to the needy honours Him.