Description
When it comes to
material wealth, it has been said that what we humans strive for is “just a
little more.” But in the Lord’s economy
material wealth can often be a roadblock to true faith and can create snares
that entangle and preoccupy us.
Conversely, Jesus showed great compassion for the poor, the oppressed
and the physically challenged, and He calls us to do likewise. Both we and each of our patients suffer from
a poverty of spirit, and the Gospel fills our accounts like nothing else can.
1. What from this video inspired, edified or challenged you?
2. What does it mean to be “poor?” How do we as Christians move past politically-motivated divisions in gospel-centered compassion?
3. Dr. Daisey Dowell states, “… all of us in healthcare have been called to serve those who are without resources.” What are some of the many ways we can do this?
4. How can Philippians 2:3-11 help us in our attitude toward the underserved?
5. Consider Jesus’ words in Matthew 19:24: “…it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (ESV). How does that verse resonate with you? How do you live as a disciple of Jesus despite the financial opportunity your place as a healthcare professional affords you in our society?
6. In response to the difficult plight of the Jews who had survived the exile, Nehemiah 1:4 says, “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven” (NIV). What circumstances in your life have caused your compassion for others to grow? How could you live out that compassion for the benefit of others and the glory of God?
7. How does your faith shape how you think about your work? About the “poor?”
8. Dr. Kathryn White says that caring for those in poverty is “… just loving my neighbor…when I care for someone in poverty, they have something to teach me.” What have you been taught by the “neighbors” for whom you have cared?
9. What is one take-home item from today’s session that you hope to implement?
Contributors
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David Kim, MD and Janet Kim, MD
Drs. David and Janet Kim are physicians, co-founders, and the CEO and Chief Medical Officer, respectively, of Beacon Christian Community Health Center (www.beaconcchc.com), which strives to live out the Gospel daily serving a medically underserved community in Staten Island, in New York City. David and Janet have been involved for many years with teaching and mentoring students and residents in New York City and beyond, most recently with the health center's teaching ministry, www.Beacon360.org. They have been blessed with four incredible children. For further information about Beacon's work or to contact Drs. David and Janet, please email them at either davidk@beaconcchc.com (David) or janetk@beaconcchc.com (Janet). Dr. Janet Kim has been a CMDA Member since 1998 and Dr. David Kim has been a CMDA Member since 2002.