A GIVING HEART

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the Lord's time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your brother owes you. However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.

If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: "The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near," so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.
Deuteronomy 15:1-11

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Consider the following facts below:

- According to the US Census Bureau, 35.9 million people live below the poverty line in America, including 12.9 million children.
- According to the Bread for the World Institute, 3.5 percent of U.S. households experience hunger. Some people in these households frequently skip meals or eat too little, sometimes going without food for a whole day. More than 9 million people, including 3 million children, live in these homes.
- Children make up 39 percent of the poor and 26 percent of the total population.

These statistics aren’t coming from a nation where wealth and resources are an issue. These numbers exist in the United States, the nation that has been blessed with so much…the nation that is the richest in the world. And yet, the numbers don’t lie. How well are we really taking care of each other?

Our scripture today, although at face value centered on the cancellation of debts every seven years, has a deeper message for us today. For the responsibility to care for those who are poor is truly the main theme of these verses from Deuteronomy, Chapter 15.

Moses tells Israel that “there should be no poor among (them)”. Why? Because God was “giving them a land to possess as an inheritance…a land that would leave them richly blessed. This blessing would include a bountiful abundance that would allow Israel to “lend to many nations but…borrow from none”. There would more than enough for everyone and no reason for anyone to be poor and without.

Fast forward to today. Has God not given the United States a great abundance as well…so much so that there shouldn’t be anyone who is in need? And yet, the statistics tell the sad story of where we are. I often wonder how anyone or any group that has been blessed with a rich plenty can really enjoy that plenty when there are so many people without. Just today, I read where an athlete had a swimming pool built on their property that cost over a million dollars. How many people would a million dollars have helped if that money had been used to help others instead of provide a lavish status symbol of being rich?

Friends, we need to understand that the Lord expects us to be giving people. As scripture tells us,
“there will always be poor people in the land” and so this is why we were commanded to “be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy.” We aren’t to possess our money, time and talent like we somehow had anything to do with gaining it. No…the Lord blessed us with it and this is why we have anything. He expects us to be good stewards of what He provides…to “give generously to (another) and (to) do so without a grudging heart”. For God loves a cheerful giver... (2 Corinthians 9:7) one who gives from the heart and does so gladly.

So what do we do with this scripture today? My prayer is that we take it to heart each and every day. That we seek to help anyone we see who is down and out. Don’t turn the other way from the poor but see how you can help them. The Lord will grant you the guidance as to how you can meet their needs. We need to only answer His call. In the end, wouldn’t our world be a better place if we all just shared the wealth? Wouldn’t it be such a wonderful world to live in if no one went hungry or died from a health problem that was treatable if the afflicted person only could afford the care needed?

Again, as in my last devotional, I raise up the words of our savior Jesus as He tells us:

"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me." Matthew 25:40

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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