There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need. [Deuteronomy 15:11 (NLT)]

If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. [1 John 3:17-18 (NLT)]

Now that August has arrived, it seems like everyone is taking a vacation. People are retreating to the beach, a cabin in the woods, Grandma’s, or maybe just to the back yard. The Senate and House of Representatives are even taking a break (which could actually be good news for the nation). I don’t know if all the New York psychiatrists really left for the Hamptons but (more calamitous for me) my hair dresser has gone to the Wisconsin Dells.

Even though God doesn’t physically need to take a rest from his daily work, do you suppose He ever wants to get away from it all? Does He tire of the endless complaints, sorrowful pleas, and anxious appeals he gets 24/7? Does He ever get weary of forgiving the same sins over and over again? Does He yearn to escape from the clamor and confusion of this mixed up world of ours? Thankfully, our heavenly Father is truly a God of endless patience, boundless energy, and limitless love. Even when we take off from work, turn off our cell phones and stop answering emails, He continues to receive our calls; His door remains open all day long every day of the year.

God never takes a break and, unfortunately, neither does the tremendous need for Christian love and works. Charities and churches don’t take vacations and neither does the need for their services. Sadly, as volunteers and donations disappear over the summer months, their resources to meet those needs diminish as well. While we take vacations, poverty, hardship, and affliction never do. Offering envelopes and church pews may go empty but so do the stomachs of hungry children everywhere. The tremendous needs of the less fortunate don’t take a holiday but the ability to fill those needs does. So, on our way out of town, maybe we should drop off some food at the local food pantry, visit the area blood bank, and write that tithe and offering check to our church (and a few more to the charities of our choice). God never takes a break from loving his children and neither should we!

Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. [Galatians 6:10 (NLT)]

Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need. [Proverbs 21:13 (NLT)]