Sunday, November 17, 2013

Give Generously to the Poor

"If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother."  Deuteronomy 15:7................................
"Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart;  then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your had to.  There will always be poor people in the land.  Therefore, I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land."  Deuteronomy 15:10 & 11

Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away and this special celebration is all about "giving" and sharing.  After all, when you think about the word "Thanksgiving" isn't it "Thankful Giving"??

When I was studying God's Word I was looking to see how many verses were about "giving" - I was surprised to find such an emphasis on the poor (I shouldn't have been surprised but I was).  Notice in the verses above it says "If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns" - ANY town - that means anywhere.  You might be in a strange city on vacation or you might be visiting family in a place where you once lived & notice someone in need - help them!  I'm not saying that you should give them your life savings but it could be something as seemingly insignificant as buying them lunch or at the very least making a phone call for them.  I'm not solely talking about a homeless person - It could be a needy family whose 20 year old car broke down on the side of the road - stop, use some of your airtime and make a phone call for help.

Let's look up the meanings of "hardhearted" and "tightfisted":
Hardhearted - unsympathetic, cruel, insensitive, unkind, pitiless, unforgiving, uncaring, intolerant & merciless.
Tightfisted - reluctant to part with money, stingy, miserly
This is the way that many people treat those who are in need - especially those poor homeless people who stand on the corner with a "Hungry need food" sign.  Just think - anyone of us could end up in that situation at any time.  I know that times are hard for all of us but couldn't we part with $5 to buy a meal at a fast food place for this homeless person?

Another important point in the verses above is in verse 10 "Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart".  I know of some people who give only because they think that will help them get to heaven and those people become resentful and angry about giving - they have a grudging heart.  Those people who think that way have turned giving into a selfish act when true thankful giving is selfless.  The correct way to "give" is openhanded - trusting God to guide us even in our giving.

"He who gives to the poor will lack nothing but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses."  Proverbs 28:27

Giving to the poor will benefit us as well as the person in need!  In Proverbs we learn that those who "give to the poor will lack nothing". 

I wanted to close with a link to my friend's ministry - she lives in the San Bernardino area in California & the Ministry that she and her husband have created "The King's Fishers" has helped many needy families in that area.  They will be having a "Christmas Family Dinner" on December 21st to help those families in need of some help.  If you are in the area & would like to help - please visit their website to sign up - or if you would like to donate financially to help them buy the supplies needed for that day - you can do so also on their website:

Let us remember to give thankfully!

 
Thanksgiving Signature, for http://godsgrowinggarden.com/
 

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