Promise 53 from Deuteronomy: 14:29

Deut. 14:29 - "'The Levite because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.'"

Is it possible that we might be missing out on a blessing from God when we justify reasons for NOT giving to the poor, or think of the widows and orphans?   I think the answer is "yes". We often times do not give out of fear of not having enough for our own children or think we might be "enabling dependency". However, God is very clear, in many passages of scripture, that we are to give to the poor, take care of the widows, orphans and foreigners in our land. I believe if all followers of Jesus really took this to heart, we would see greater prosperity in our land, in our schools, our health facilities and business', taxes would be lowered, people would be more content and happy in what they do because we would have the assurance of God's promise of blessings.

P.S. I realise that we live in a world where people manipulate the system for their own personal gain, and people who make soaking off of social services a career choice are in-numerous. This is why, we must, before we give, pray for that confirmation from the Lord and find out first if these people do fit that category of widow, orphan and foreigner, those who are in positions who truly can not help themselves. Maybe to help them is to give them a plot of land, a small place to live and a shovel of seeds. Maybe it is to give them a sewing machine and teach them to sow, or pay for a mechanics course and food and shelter in the meantime. There are many ways we can "feed" the poor. We want these people to feel "satisfied" in their own skin, usually that means, that have enough resources to help themselves and others. That means that they are healthy spiritually, physically, emotionally and socially. This is how they can be satisfied and taken care of.