Devotional: To Give or Not To Give

This particular devotional is about giving when God calls us to give. I will start with a story that my mom told me. She worked in a food bank that was run by the church we were attending at the time. During those times, she would come across many different people with many different struggles like addictions to drugs, alcohol, or just a lack of income. One day, God had called her to give some money to a couple who had asked for it. My mom was hesitant because these people did drugs. Because she wasn't sure of what to do, she went to ask the pastor for advice. When she told him of the situation, he told her that we should give when God calls us to give because once that money is in that person's possession, it is no longer in our hands. It is between that person and God. He said that God has a plan for that person that we may not understand, and then he gave an example...: "Say God calls you to give money to a drug addict. That person may be going through such serious withdrawals that even if you tried to tell them about the love of God, they wouldn't listen or care. All they would think about is getting their next fix. But you give them the money anyway. That person then goes out and buys drugs and gets their fix. You see them a short time later and they are calm, collected, and aren't so worried about drugs that you can share the love of God with them. They give their lives to the Lord that day and decide to go to rehab so they can live drug free lives. All of this happened because you gave them the money." This story makes an excellent point. So often we are called to give, but then take it upon ourselves to determine whether a person should receive this gift or not. When a person asks for help, we automatically start asking questions, trying to determine if he or she qualifies to receive any gift. However the bible talks about what to do in situations such as these. In Deuteronomy 15:7-11 it says, "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. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: 'The seventh year, the year for canceling debts is near.,' so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. 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 hand 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." The story of the Good Samaritan is a good example of helping someone in need...which goes back to the scripture in Deuteronomy. Luke 10:30-36 says, "...A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he say him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers"? What makes this story so wonderful is that the man gave help freely and without question to the man who was beaten up on the side of the road. He did not stop and say, "Excuse me, but I need to ask you questions before I can help bandage your wounds and make sure you don't die." Harsh example, but true. In the bible it talks about Paul and grace that God gave the Macedonian churches. These people wanted to serve and give to the saints. 2 Corinthians 8:5..."And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will." God blessed these people because they gave what they could and did it according to God's will. It starts off in Jeremiah 29:11 by saying, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord... Though we may not understand why God asks us to do or give certain things, he has a plan that will not only benefit us, but the person he has also called us to give to. Matthew 25:35-36 says, "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."