Open Your Hand Willingly

 It is easy for us to be stingy. It is a product of being selfish, but also, it is caused by being in a world with so much need all around us. We are tempted to think that we can't really do any good by helping others, since there are so many people with needs. We should never let ourselves think that way. God wants us to be His hands and feet to help those around us, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. God made this very plain to Israel. (Deuteronomy 115:11) God assured them that there would never cease to be poor people in their land. That is why He commanded them to "open their hands willingly to our poor and needy brothers." It might be hard for us to open our hand, but God is clear that it is the right thing for us to do.

Poverty is caused by many things. People become poor through bad circumstances of life that are beyond their control. Sometimes, poverty comes because of bad decisions. Some of those decisions were made out of selfishness, but others were made in good faith that we were doing the right thing. Other times, people find themselves in poverty because of prejudice against them. Yes, and poverty can come from being lazy and not being diligent to work as God commands us, just like Solomon told us in Proverbs. However, no matter the cause of the poverty we see, we are to have God's love for this around us. We are to be His conduit of blessing to those we know. Sometimes, that means giving money, but other times, it means paying a bill or buying some food for them. If people don't handle money well, they do not need more; they need some loving instructions on how to be a good steward. Therefore, we see there are many ways to open our hand willingly to help our poor and needy brothers and sisters. Let's determine to do what Jesus would do and do it with His love. What a difference that will make in our land!

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Deuteronomy 16-18.