Good morning Friends! Deuteronomy chapter 15.
This chapter talked a lot about the poor so I would like to put my attention on how we are to deal with the poor. This is a difficult issue for me and I would like to establish a couple thoughts before I get into it.
Based upon Deuteronomy 15 and 2nd Thessalonians 3, I have come to this conclusion:
1. The body of Christ, the church, must be playing a part in helping the poor.
2. According to 2nd Thessalonians 3, there are times some people become idle or lazy. And Paul says if they don't work they don't eat. Therefore God wants people to be responsible and work for their money.
Okay, now that I have established those two thoughts I'd like to jump in about this topic with the poor, admitting right up front that what I express today I may change my thoughts on tomorrow because I struggle with this issue.
Here are four principles I believe in:
1. God's desire is not to see poor people among us.
2. God's desire is to see people being responsible and working and earning their money.
3. Some people are just plain lazy and expect handouts but are very capable of working.
4. Some people are not working because their spirits are broken down and they have no confidence in themselves.
5. There are some who may never be able to work.
Helping the poor comes in different forms:
1. I can give them money, which I have on different occasions, but often is a temporary fix.
2. I can help a poor person even more if I can build their confidence or confront their laziness and help them get a job. This may take time and I feel it is a Ministry that should be a part of the church because it takes time and energy to really help a poor person get from asking for money to working for money. Helping some may mean getting them hooked up with assistance until they can get on their own two feet and work. Some may never be able to work. Some may never want to work and in those cases, you have to eventually say no more help.
3. I've been in poor situations and appreciated people and the church coming alongside me. So everyone deserves help and assistance but we need the wisdom from the body to say yes I'll keep helping or no we're done.
Karin and I have reached out to help a lot of people by giving. Some we wondered if we did more harm than good by giving to them but we felt we should still give.
The topic of being poor as well as the topic of being a slave are both dealt with in chapter 15.
I appreciate what Pastor Blair has already shared and I know that it can be a sensitive subject. I try to personally follow Proverbs 3:27. Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.
The tricky part for me sometimes is discerning to whom it is due and I know that I have probably failed on both ends of this before. I realize that there are so many scam artists out there who try to take advantage of the kindness and generosity of others. I also never want to contribute towards someone’s bad habits or poor choices. When I was employed at a church, I remember receiving numerous calls and visits from people who were claiming to be in need. It wasn’t always easy to determine if the individuals were being honest or not. There was a benevolent fund set up to be a blessing to those who really needed financial help and we had some Aldi’s food cards & Speedway fuel cards available that could only be used for food or for gas, but these were mainly intended for people who attended our church. When serving on the staff at the church, I felt that I had an obligation and responsibility to be a good steward especially when dealing with funds that were not my own. A procedure was established for handling the “asking for a handout” types of calls and visits. An application had to be completed and approved by the deacons of the church in order for financial help to be disbursed for anything beyond a $25 gift card. One of the first questions asked was whether the individual was part of a church and did they ask their own church for help already. Before we had the fuel card system set up, I remember on more than one occasion following people to a gas station to put some gas directly into their vehicle to help them get to where they needed to go. I also remember a time when someone was caught in their lies about actually needing help in the first place.
I have somewhat followed a philosophy in my own life and in ministry that I call being “Used But Not Abused” as I have discussed it with my wife. I don’t mind being used by people if they need help, but I think that there is also a time to draw the line when it goes too far beyond the second mile that we read about in Matthew 5:41.
An example would be when someone thought that they could get what they may have thought was free babysitting; sure, ok. No problem. I was fine with them thinking that way and using our ministry with that mindset while our goal at the same time was focused on evangelism and discipleship. When they started to not return for their child until over an hour after the set time was over each Wednesday, I felt that the line was being crossed over from simply using to now abusing us so we needed to set some appropriate boundaries there.
Another example was when someone that my wife & I knew had asked if they could borrow $50 until they could pay us back the following week. I said that would be fine so we did. The following week came and went and years have actually passed now with no mention or return of the money. I’m not angry or bitter towards that person, but I told my wife that I look at that as an investment into that person. They showed us that they couldn’t be trusted to do what they said so we made the decision that we will not plan to invest any additional money into that person in the future. There have been other times when I have given some money to others and they paid it back when I hadn’t asked for it and I wasn’t even expecting them to do so. The “Used But Not Abused” system has also come into play for my wife and I when we have helped to provide other things besides childcare and money such as transportation and animal care for people over the years as well.
It may not matter so much about what my philosophy is, but it does matter what God’s Word tells us. I’ve been accused of being a sucker, a pushover, or gullible at times, but I don’t want to disobey God’s Word. We certainly want to remember what we read about the least of these in Matthew 25:31-46 and check out what Jesus had to say in Luke 6:27-31. “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”
It’s not always easy for me to give and I don’t think that any of us want to be scammed or hoodwinked, but we can ask the Lord for wisdom and direction whenever situations arise that we may not know how to respond to. I think of how brilliantly Solomon handled the dispute over who was the true mother in 1 Kings 3:16-28. His wisdom came from God. God can give us wisdom too!
As God’s sheep, may we be wise and innocent as we see in Matthew 10:16. “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
“10 Give generously to them 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. 11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.”
This message speaks pretty clearly to me. But just like Blair and Jim mentioned it can be difficult to discern who is truly in need of help or who is abusing or taking advantage of help. That is why the church ministering to the poor or homeless is so helpful to you and I. I struggle with passing homeless people in the car. When I lived near Houston this was a daily occurrence and my heart hurt knowing I was not rolling my window down to hand them money, ask them how they are doing or take time out of my day to treat them to a hot cup of coffee or a meal. But as a young woman and the mother of a 2 year old I always felt I had to be smart and guarded to an extent. Yes, my heart may want to pick them up in my car and treat them to a meal, but my head says, you must keep yourself and your family safe first and foremost. It was so difficult because I didn’t even want to make eye contact with them or smile, knowing I wasn’t going to give them anything…. it can be such a difficult thing.
At one time my husband and I were in possession of 3 vehicles. We each had small cars and my parents were trading in their SUV. I asked if we could buy the SUV for the trade in price and my parents agreed. Well, I have about $1,000 left to pay off on my car and was having attachment issues to it. But it didnt make sense to put 3 cars on insurance and we looked to sell it. To trade it in we would barely get anything and even selling it privately was becoming a hassle. I felt so stressed and torn at what to do, so I prayed about it. I prayed that God would give me the answer and I would know clearly what I should do.
A close friend and actually my sons godmother and I were having a conversation and I brought up our dilemma. I said I felt like I was meant to keep the car but I didn’t know why and we weren’t having any luck selling it. She mentioned how her sister was in need of a car for her family. All they had was one car and it was a company car. They couldn’t afford a down payment at a dealership and payments would be $600-$700 a month due to their credit. We worked it out so that I would pay $1,000 to pay it off, and the sales tax up front, and this family would pay me monthly $200 until the amount we decided on was paid off. It was a little expensive for us up front, but a huge blessing to them. My family members questioned my choice, and wondered well what if they stopped paying? Honestly in my heart i knew it was a possibility, but I also knew if that happened we would be at peace with it. Every month like clockwork this family has made their payment. During more difficult months with unexpected final burdens they ask for extra time, and it’s no problem at all. My friend told me that her sister shared she was praying to God, begging Him for an answer to their lack of car problem. The car was needed for her husband to get to work after getting changed to 3rd shift. They had planned to wake up their 3 year old up late every night and take the company car and drop him off, but were praying for a better way.
I am so blessed with more than I could imagine. God has taken care of my family and I time and time again. We can be blessings to those around us in ways we never even considered! All we have to do is pray, and listen!