Give freely and spontaneously. Don’t have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers God, your God’s, blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures. There are always going to be poor and needy people among you. So I command you: Always be generous, open purse and hands, give to your neighbors in trouble, your poor and hurting neighbors. [Deuteronomy 15:10-11 (MSG)]
We’d purchased a gift card at a grocery store for someone in serious financial straits and started talking about her, wondering how she got so deep in debt. A lot of unwise decisions combined with the loss of employment and topped off by major health issues was the answer. We then reminded ourselves that our task is not to analyze the hows, whys, could haves and shouldn’t haves of her or anyone else’s life—our task is simply to lay some love on our neighbors.
I recalled a discussion we had in Bible study about this very thing. Someone asked about giving money to street people—wouldn’t they just use it for drugs or drink? Our pastor reminded us that we’re not to be the judges; that’s God’s job. We’re simply to be the conduits of God’s grace. He also suggested doing what he does—rather than offering money, he gives $5 McDonald’s gift cards to panhandlers. They’re not valuable enough to be traded for drugs and can only be used for food. Another person shared that she gives street people a baggie filled with things like socks or mittens, hotel-sized toiletries, a religious tract and a card with information about local shelters and food pantries. Those kinds of gifts neither enable nor judge but they do spread God’s love. Money, gift cards and socks are just temporary solutions, however, and connecting someone with the right resources is ideal. Nevertheless, immediate needs must be met immediately, social services are rarely immediate, and some situations fall through the cracks.
When I see street people or panhandlers, I think of my nephew who, because of a combination of incredibly poor decisions, mental illness, drugs and alcohol, is one of them. They are the modern day version of the Bible’s lepers who had to sit outside the city gate—outcasts. Society has no use for them and they no longer fit into society. To a great extent, they must depend on social services and handouts to get through the day. Some are lost souls and some are scam artists, but how am I to know and who am I to judge? Rather than getting self-righteous, I remind myself, “There, but for the grace of God, go I or my children or grands.”
Jesus didn’t ask people how they got in their predicaments before healing them or ridding them of demons and the prodigal’s father didn’t ask his lost son for an accounting of his wastrel ways—they simply laid on God’s grace. Whether or not someone is worthy of our assistance is not a question that we, as Christians, should be asking. Rather, we should be asking what we can do to remedy the situation both in the short and run long. Remember, none of us are worthy of God’s grace but we all happily accepted it!
Our pastor once told the story of a recently married parishioner. After a long day of travel, he and his new wife finally arrived at their hotel. The groom hoisted the bride in his arms and opened the door to their deluxe suite. It had a beautiful view of the beach, a small kitchenette, and an elaborate entertainment system. What it didn’t appear to have was a bed! They finally checked the sofa and discovered it was a hide-a-bed. They were exhausted and, deciding it was too late to complain, the newlyweds unfolded the bed and settled in. Like most hide-a-beds, this one had a thin mattress and two supporting bars that seemed to dig into whatever part of the body was downward. The couple tossed and turned and, needless to say, their honeymoon night did not meet their expectations.
When I was young, back in the 1950s, sex education pretty much consisted of some talk about bees pollinating flowers. Married couples on television didn’t sleep in the same bed and husbands always seemed completely surprised when wives announced a baby was arriving. As a little girl, I naively thought marriage (not intercourse) was what produced babies and that God put babies in a woman’s tummy once she was married.
Printed on the tee-shirt were Paul’s words from Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things.” While the shirt, part of a new line of Christian workout wear, would be a great conversation starter at the gym, the message is somewhat misleading. I could wear that shirt and say those words but, try as I might, I’d still be unable to bench press 450 pounds! That, however, is not why the message is misleading. It’s because the rest and most important part of Paul’s words—“through Christ who strengthens me”—are missing. Paul’s words are not words of self-sufficiency but of God’s all-sufficiency. The apostle was not boasting of himself and his strength but rather of God’s strength and power that enable us to do His work.
The elderly Abraham and Sarah laughed at the thought of the two of them making a child and the old Jewish priest Zechariah doubted his barren wife could conceive. Yet, a thirteen-year old virgin believed that she would miraculously bear a son and a pagan Roman officer believed Jesus could heal his servant with just a word.
Devotions of the Heart 