Deut. 15:10 - "'You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing, the Lord your god will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings.'"
This verse is speaking about giving to a brother in need. The thing that sticks out to me in this verse is that it doesn't address the motivation or condition of the heart of the one in need, but of the heart of the one who is to give. There are many fine books out there that caution people to not be enablers for the poor, in other words, don't give so much so as to cause a dependent lifestyle on others. I know I question the motivation of those who beg: Are they lying to me? Are they just wanting drugs or alcohol? Have they chosen begging as their career? I don't want to give to one who lies to me about what they want the money for, or if a family member has a gambling addiction or has made poor choices in overspending. Out of distrust, or fear, we don't want to give to that brother or sister in need. But God doesn't put conditions on our giving, He says, 'give to him generously and don't be grieved in your heart.' The Lord delights in this, He promises to bless us in all we do as a result. We need to leave the motivation and condition of the heart to God and be responsible for our own.
Monday, August 18, 2014
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