Skip to main content

Doing Good (how far should we go)?

Proverbs 3:27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in your power to act. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back tomorrow, and I'll give it to you"— when you already have it with you.


How far are we supposed to go when it comes to giving to others? These days, where people are out of work and companies are closing because of the pandemic, it can be difficult to judge between a real need and an imagined one. 


You might want to re-read this text because it doesn't say anything about giving money. However, money might be a part of the equation. The text also specifies to whom the good should be given when it states, "to whom it is due.” 


The other day at an outdoor restaurant, a teen approached me asking for a hand-out. He looked to be about 18 years old and was very dazed and dirty. I quickly shook my head "no" to his plea for help. After a few minutes, I went to talk to the small group of people from which the teen had come. They were all seated on the ground. There were two men and two women in the dingy group. Both of the women looked mentally deficient and pregnant. Neither of them said anything nor even looked at me during my short visit. 


The lead spokesman's name was Jonas. When I asked him why he was in this place, he told me a story of loss and sickness and hope in a promised government handout. 


When I offered to buy him lunch, he quickly told me that the restaurant owner was giving them lunch, but that If I could buy them something to drink, that would be great. So I did. I asked if I could share Christ with them and pray for them. Jonas consented. 


I did a good thing. However, I left that scene with doubts. I spoke with someone at the restaurant, and they said that this group had been coming for food for at least the last five months. They didn't seem to be going after any government help. So, my doubts were as follows, was Jonas telling me the truth, or was he a vagabond. Was he a good guy who was going through a rough stretch, or was he a pan-handler?


Don't withhold good from the good. Be ready to help when you can. Remember that you are a needy person, too, and you would be lost without the grace of God. But, also, don't hesitate to check out the "good" people. Some are not as good as they appear. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Caught up to Paradise - 2 Corinthians 12

Residing in Michigan for over half my life, I had heard about Paradise. Because Paradise is a small town in the Upper Peninsula, you may have never visited there in your life, but you knew it existed. It was WAY up there next to Tahquamenon Falls and nothing else. Where's Tahquamenon Falls? Next to Paradise and nothing else. It's a long way from home.  Why all of the talk about Paradise? Because Paul talks about it in 2 Corinthians 12. There was this guy who had been caught up to Paradise. Not in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, but into the REAL Paradise. While there, he'd heard things that he was unable to repeat. What on earth was this? Who was this guy? Here's what was going on. Paul defended his position of Apostleship in chapter eleven and gave the Corinthians an idea of what Apostleship looked like in chapter twelve. It came with great wonders, like seeing or instead hearing unimaginable things. But, too, that position came with a terrible cost. God gave Paul a &q
Post a Comment
Read more

What to get God for Christmas

Jesus left perfect surroundings, relationships and glory to be born into squalor. He was homeless before birth. His father was a carpenter in a culture where carpentry was a despised trade. His, mother though young and giving birth to her firstborn, had no attendant nurses, helpers or friends. Rather than a pristine hospital, birth was given in the filthy stench of a stable. Romantic? Hardly. This sacrifice brought a life of hardship. Why? Why this odd story? Obedience. God's gift to humanity was His son. Jesus' gift was obedience to the Father. He paid the greatest price. Not because we are special but because he loves His Father. His gift was the perfect gift. Our Father wants obedience for Christmas and every other day for that matter. In Brazil Christmas is becoming commercialized. A phenomenon familiar for years in the United States tickles a growing economy. There is little time for meditation on God's Gift. There are no chestnuts roasting or Jack Frost nippin
Post a Comment
Read more

Stop Trusting

Isaiah 2:22 says Isaiah 2:22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of? The Prophet is saying that we shouldn't put our trust in humankind because they are so finite. They are not like God, who is infinite. People are fickle. They change their minds. They love you and then hate you in moments.  God invites us to trust him completely with everything that we have. He doesn't show himself to us physically or as a spirit. He demands that we have faith. However, he also gives us the faith to trust him.  The universe shouts "Creator!" and yet we often ignore the proclamation. This ignorance does not make God's creation any less a physical demonstration of his grandeur. God's boundless being becomes more amazing in his presence within us. How can the infinite God dwell in the mortals he commands us not to trust?  Jesus said, "with man it is impossible but with God, all things are possible." 
Post a Comment
Read more