²² “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 23:22 ESV)

Merriam-Webster defines Marginalized as : relegated to a marginal position within a society or group. They are by definition located at the edge, beyond boundaries, on the outside.

There is much in scripture that points to Christian treatment of people who are marginalized. We are to be the first in line to help those in need. I believe we struggle with the semantics between someone who would be considered a minority and someone who would be considered marginalized. To be sure there are similarities but some very big definition gaps as well.

For the Christian this should not matter. We must treat everyone as equals and everyone as a potential person we can reach and we can help. When Jesus sent the disciples out he did not give them definitions around people other than reach to the ends of the earth. We can easily get hung up in our own prejudice around who we are ministering to, but we must not.

Having a love for all people comes from a love of Christ and His habitation through the Spirit within us. When our love for another is waning we must look to the Spirit within to press us forward to love the unlovable. There is much good we can do in this world, but not while we turn a blind eye to those in need around us because there is not enough love within us.