 |
| Giving the paradox to riches |
7 “But
if there are any poor Israelites in your towns when you arrive in the land the
Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them.
8 Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need…If you refuse to
make the loan and the needy person cries out to the Lord, you will be
considered guilty of sin. 10 Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly,
for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.
The Christian faith is
full of paradoxes; some say it is the backward wisdom of God. A.W. Tozer displayed
this truth beautifully when he said,
A real
Christian is an odd number anyway. He feels supreme love for one whom he has
never seen;
Talks
familiarly every day to someone he cannot see;
Expects to
go to heaven on the virtue of another;
Empties
himself in order to be full;
Admits he
is wrong so he can be declared right;
Goes down
in order to get up;
Is
strongest when he is weakest;
Richest
when he is poorest; and happiest when he feels the worst. He dies so
he can live; forsakes in order to have;
Gives away
so he can keep;
He fears
God but is not afraid of Him
Sees the
invisible, hears the inaudible, and knows that which passes knowledge.
Our text zooms in on the
paradox of riches, realized when one gives generously to those in need. God
through Moses reminds His people about the kind of heart to display for the
poor and those in need.
The reminder is simple, “be generous and lend them whatever they need”—this
is the practice for all who God calls His own. They are a people
reflecting generous hearts, giving to those in need, because they serve a
God who has freely given them all they ever needed (Lam 3:23, Ps 89:1).
We too who hail the
Christian identity, stand reminded to shine the grace of generosity to all. Not only
with our money but with whatever others need from us (vs 8). We are employed to
give of our time to those who need the comfort of our presence; to partage our
ideas to those who might need a hand up instead of a handout. We are employed
to share our stories with those who may glean inspiration from them. Thinking
also of giving generously, the greatest gift we have ever received, which is
salvation—eternal life through faith in Christ (Rom 6:23).
If we fail to extend this
generous hand to the poor—even the poor in spirit, God says it is sin (Vs 8).
This failure exposes our distrust in God’s ability to provide all that we need
(Gen 22:14). We underestimate His ability to bless us because of our generosity
(Vs 10). We miss the opportunity to be light in our world, and to show God’s
character of compassion to those who need it most. Most of all we miss
the privilege of joining the angels in their holy party as one of God's
prodigal children find their way home (Luke 15:7).
Being
generous with our finances, our expertise and our time, takes faith—faith in the
one we seek to obey. It takes courage, because sometimes such generosity
demands an expensive sacrifice, a sacrifice costing even our lives. Selfless giving
will take perseverance in times when you grow weary of always being the giver
(Gal 6:9).
And let us not grow weary of doing
good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have
opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the
household of faith—Gal 6:9-10
All in all, a generous
heart requires God’s grace working in and through us—“For it is God who causes
us both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Phil 2:13). So praying for an
endowment of the grace of generosity is wise for us all.
In light of all this,
keep giving, for in this lies great blessings of riches—material and
immaterial. As the scriptures say, “It is more blessed to give than to
receive”, this paradox of the Christian faith always proves true.
As the missionary Jim
Elliot once said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain
what he cannot loose". So make someone smile this week, as you
intentionally extend a hand and a heart of generous giving, because herein
burst true comfort for the soul—for the giver and receiver.
"Tell those who are rich not
to be proud and not to trust in their money which will soon be gone. Tell
them to use their money to do good. They should... give happily to those in
need, always ready to share
with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up
real treasure
for themselves in heaven — it is the only safe investment for eternity!" 1
Tim. 6:17-19
Until next time, Read, Share and be Comforted.
