I was reading a passage in Zechariah 7 this morning where God calls us to, “Show mercy and compassion to one another.  Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor.”  A few verses later it says that God was ‘very angry’ because the people did not listen to him.  He was angry because he had given specific instruction in Deuteronomy 15 that, “There should be no poor among you.”  Numerous laws were given to care for those in need (Leviticus 19, 25), but the people didn’t listen.  This is a great reminder to me that God could have alleviated the condition of the poor, but he’s chosen to use you and me to do that.  Am I listening?  I’m I obeying?