“Give to him that asks you, and from him that would borrow turn not away.” Mt. 5:42
I cannot think of anyone I know that likes to ask for help. In fact, if someone becomes too comfortable at it, we wonder about his or her real motives. The truth is, healthy people don’t like to always be on the receiving end, especially Christian people. There are certainly circumstances where this is unavoidable, but in most cases, life should be a give and take experience. There are times however when a brother or sister (or even an unbeliever) finds him or herself in a situation where they can find no relief and they come to you asking for your help. At such a time, if you have the ability, give, asking nothing in return.
In many of our larger American cities you will usually find someone standing on a street corner with a sign that says, “Will Work for Food,” or “I’m a veteran. Can you help me? God Bless”, or any number of similar catch phrases designed to evoke some generosity from the passing cars. Having over the years offered work to several such as this on various corners in my own town, I have never found one that really wanted to work. In fact, I once offered one of those people a job that would last all week and he said”
“I can’t do that man. I make over $300 a day on this corner, six days a week. I paid $1,500 cash for this corner and I waited 6 months to get it.” He then pointed to a late model conversion van parked across the street in a shopping center where a young woman and two children were playing games in the parking lot.
“That’s my wife and kids,” he told me.
This commandment is certainly not telling us to assist that kind of person, as he or she is usually just trying to get some money for beer or drugs or they are just running a hustle. If you feel you must do something for someone in that situation, a quick drive through a fast-food window can alleviate a few hours of guilt and give what the sign said they needed. There is a definite difference between a poor person and a bum. We don’t owe anything to a bum who is just lazy and wants a handout. If you do choose to give them something, make sure you give them the Bread of Life as well. We should resist the temptation to give bread without the Word of God.
Some people think that the practice of giving is only for people who have abundance. This is certainly a misconception. Paul boasted of the Macedonian Church in II Corinthians chapter 8, saying how they gave abundantly though they were extremely poor in material wealth. In fact, Paul tells us they gave liberally out of the abundance of their poverty.
We can all learn from the Macedonian example and find ourselves blessed in our generosity. However, giving is not always about money. Sometimes it may be your time or attention that someone needs, or even something like an extra car that you may not be using, or a service you can provide which someone may have need of but cannot afford. Giving like this can often be a powerful method of genuinely helping someone in a way that can alter his or her situation.
I have a good friend who has several time-share properties which he and his wife often allow others to use who could not normally afford such a vacation themselves. They love to give and look for opportunities to serve the Lord in this way. In fact, they recently formed a foundation for giving low interest micro-loans to help needy people start their own businesses. They understand this commandment and practice it with great joy and simplicity.
“What do I have to give?” you might be asking yourself right now. “I need everything I’ve got just to get by myself.” Remember the widow who cast two mites into the offering plate while Jesus was in the temple. Though a mite was worth about 1/5 of a current American penny in value, her giving was sacrificial and abundant according to what she had to offer. Jesus told his disciples that she had cast in more than all the others because she had given all that she had. (Mar.12:42, 43) It is not the amount of your gift that matters; it is how much what you are giving means to you.
Maybe you are just a young person and you have little or no money but you really desire to be a giver. How about mowing the yard of a needy neighbor and not letting them know that you did it, or going to the store for an elderly person who is a shut in? Have you ever thought of dedicating some of your free time to volunteer to help senior citizens who would like someone to read to them or may just need a visit from a friendly face? There is always someone who needs what you have to offer, and when you give it to the Lord, it is like storing treasures up in your heavenly savings account.
Giving should be with simplicity and lending money should not be a profit- making business in the Body of Christ. In many cases, lending to friends can strain a relationship. It is better just to give and expect nothing in return. However, to lend is not always wrong and it certainly can be a powerful source of assistance if done in the right way. Make sure it does not put a wedge between you and the borrower, and certainly do it in a private way so as not make the other person feel ashamed when in your presence.
If for some reason you feel a grudge or sense of superiority developing on your part, pray through that or talk to the borrower and try to settle the debt as quickly as possible to avoid any rift in the relationship. Never lend money from pressure or guilt as this will nearly always become a bad situation and hinder your peace with God, with yourself, and with the borrower.