He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord;
and that which he hath given will He pay him again. Proverbs 19:17
Giving to God is important
How else can you give something to God?
Extending to another as you would unto the Lord
Giving to someone else in the name of the Lord
is a wonderful way to love your neighbor as yourself
The Least of These:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave Me meat:
I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink:
I was a stranger, and ye took Me in: Matthew 25:35 KJV
It might not feel so great at the moment
Maybe it might take your time or your money, be inconvenient,
or it may cause you to go without something or another
The bottom line is it pleases God if we address a need another has,
if done with a rightful heart
Maybe it’s easy to give to God,
but is it as easy to give to someone who is not so lovely?
Our brother whom we can see?
Like the Good Samaritan helped the wounded man
He treated him like his own son, his brother
God wants us to take that example and to serve our fellow humans
as often as we encounter them in a dire state
The Parable of the Good Samaritan was the story Jesus told to the lawyer
who wanted to know how to inherit Eternal Life
Jesus was candid and told him what He wants from us,
And He answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind;
and thy neighbour as thyself. Luke 10:27
After Jesus told him the parable, Jesus said to the inquiring person
Go and do likewise, as he was trying to figure it out and he got his answer:
And he said, He that shewed mercy on him.
Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. Luke 10:37 KJV
Do our hearts hear the cry of the poor as Jesus would hear?
Probably not
We hear our own selfish needs and wants loud and clear,
then those of our loved ones,
then, those that benefit us by recognition or some other way,
then, maybe at the bottom of the barrel,
we might find a few coins to give to the needy
Give to him that asketh thee,
and from him that would borrow of thee
turn not thou away. Matthew 5:42 KJV
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down,
and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.
For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be
measured to you again. Luke 6:38
Try to remember Jesus is the least of these and He will reward you
both on this Earth and in the world to come
Giving of material things, whether money or other tangible things
is a demonstration of our being able to let go of any idolatry we might have
Some can give to a fault, we have all heard those stories
and some people will take advantage of people who are kind and generous
We can and should always ask God for wisdom,
and ask Him how to recognize manipulation and obligation
as those can also interfere with our servitude to the Lord
Love God whom you can’t see by loving your brother whom you can see:
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar:
for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen,
how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 1 John 4:20 KJV
Giving is an opportunity to bless the Lord with what we have to give
He will honor us in the way He chooses
and it may not be with a material blessing,
but the reward may come long after you have even forgotten your deed
such as the time when you stand before Him
and know you have pleased Him and done His will by caring for others