He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done (Proverbs 19:17).

Jesus explained the truths behind this Proverb so beautifully that it's hard for me to try and explain it any other way.  I'll quote directly from Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 25:31-46, and then close it off with a few simple summary thoughts of my own:

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

So here's what impresses me the most about Proverbs 19:17 and Matthew 25:31-46:  (1) It makes worship so incredibly practical.  We can often fall into the trap of thinking that we've got to come up with something innovative, something original, something extravagant to express our love and our worship of God -- hoping to catch His attention and approval -- when He's really just asking us to buy a hamburger for that scraggly guy on the street corner, or He's asking us to visit that illegal immigrant in prison before he gets deported, or He's asking us to provide clothing for people who need it.  Simple stuff. Practical stuff.  Not like composing elaborate, imaginative poetry for our wives, but just picking up that laundry basket over there and folding the clothes for once.  Also, (2) I'm struck by the concept of being kind to the poor.  It's not about being generous to the poor or even providing material resources at all, so much as it's about expressing kindness and consideration for someone else.  My charity means nothing if it's not motivated by kindness.  And finally, (3) it's significant to note that our kindnesses will be rewarded one day, even if it's not apparent how or when.  God is good for his "I.O.U." notes, doled out whenever we're kind to the poor.  I don't completely understand this or feel like it should be my primary motivation; but it is cool to remember that God is watching and waiting to reward us.