Leviticus 25:35-36 “’If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you.’”
An obedient nation of Israel was promised prosperity. However, in God’s sovereign plan for humanity, forces are at work which can bring poverty to an individual.
Principle: Search out ways to hire the disabled, the helpless and the less fortunate.
There are many reasons a person might find themselves unable to support themselves — illness, disability, poor work habits, a complicated past. Some governments provide aid for such folks, including monetary gifts or an interest free loan or employment. In some countries people can get unemployment insurance, disability, welfare, etc. and is the right thing to do. Churches do this under the names of charity, deacon’s fund, food funds, etc. and are Biblically sound ways of helping those in need. I think the church should be the primary administrator of this activity in society. Businesses owned by Christians should minister in this area.
Craig Hoekenga was the president of MPI, a high-tech electronics manufacturing firm. Once he became a Christian Craig made it a policy to turn risky hires into valued workers. Risky hiring didn’t hurt profits which were $30 million a few years ago. Most of his 240 employees had conventional backgrounds but Hoekenga attributed the growth of his company partly to the loyalty and hard work of his high-risk hires.
The company was tough on employees who did not pull their weight or had bad attendance or on-time records. However, Hoekenga would take people who couldn’t produce and would wait 6-9 months for them to come through. Employees who constantly failed to meet production guidelines due to severe psychological trauma would not be fired but would be counseled and encouraged. Hoekenga felt the company had a debt to society and that his company must walk alongside these people with compassion. Hoekenga sometimes prayed with his workers in a conference room that doubled as a chapel. He said, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
Discussion:
1. How do you feel about working alongside “recovering” people?
2. If you have done so, what are some of the difficulties of co-workers like this?
3. What are some of the practical dangers to the company in a “compassionate” company policy?
