Daily Verse: Acts 2:45

Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need

The verse above refers to the believers that devoted their lives to the Apostles’ teachings…for the Apostles were those who actually witnessed Christ in the flesh…and witnessed his resurrection from the dead and ascension into heaven.  They were legit…and as so, these people that “gave to anyone as he had need” were intent on following their direction…with one of the directions being to help those in need. In our world today, we are often derailed in our giving to the needy due to our high level of skepticism, critical analysis, and just simple “excuse making”. When we see someone in need…say someone asking for money for food…one of the first thoughts that come to mind is “I can’t give to them as they are just going to waste it on booze”…or “they are a drug addict, giving them money will only feed their habit”. This may be due to those “great” news stories that expose the swindlers in the needy population or it may be due to past experience, where our kindness was abused by someone with destructive intentions. But what strikes me about the text above is that it doesn’t put any conditions on the giving…it doesn’t say “they gave to those with honorable intentions”…or “they gave only to those who were hungry and not caught in a booze spiral”…nor did it say “they critically evaluated those in need, choosing the reputable from the scumbags”. When we give to those in need, we are doing the work of the Lord…and since our God is a living God, he is active in our lives…and he is active in our giving. What if when we give to a person in need, God decides at this very moment to touch that person, opening their eyes to their past mistakes, and turning their hearts to him? Had we not initiated his love for this person, their lives may have never changed. Or what if we pass up someone that is really in need, mistaking them as a substance abuser or con-artist? Without our generosity, they will have to return to some painfully hungry children with empty hands. So how do we navigate this difficult situation…how do we extend his hand of generosity without “fueling” the sin in the lives of others? Through sincere prayer and obedient follow-through. When we include God in our giving…when we ask that he guide our steps in giving to those in need, we can rest assured that he will put us in the right place. We may not think it is so ideal, but that is where trust comes into play…we must trust him, pushing aside skepticism and negativity…and allowing his love to shine through us.  Just think, a few dollars that are relatively meaningless to us could be absolutely monumental to those in need. May we seek the Lord’s guidance today, trusting in the direction he provides, and extending a hand of love and generosity to those in need.