Do You Give Money to the Homeless?
9/06/2011
He
that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he
hath given will he pay him again. - Proverbs 19:17
We’ve
all seen homeless people that ask for money or food on the streets.
Have you ever had spare money to give, but refused to give it? That
was the topic of discussion between a friend and me recently. Would
you give money to a homeless person if they asked? Her opinion was: "I wouldn't give it to them because you don't know if the homeless person is about to go support his/her habit or not." My opinion: "If
you have money to spare, you should give some to the poor if they
ask. If they choose to use it for something different than what they
initially asked for, then God will deal with them.” Immediately, I thought of the story that my mom told me when I was
younger (which has been passed down from my great-grandmother or
before):
A woman told Jesus that she would cook for him, and He agreed to come. During her wait for Jesus' arrival, three people came consecutively and asked for food. The woman responded to the first that she couldn't feed him/her because she was saving her food for Jesus. The next person came, and the woman replied with the same statement. A third person came and asked for food as well, and the woman kept her word of saving her food for Jesus. Finally, Jesus came. The woman asked Jesus if he was ready to eat. He replied, "No, I've been here three times already, and you didn't feed me."
Originally,
my ancestors passed it down to me saying that it was a parable from
the Bible. That is not true. However, I’m
a firm believer in tests from God. The homeless people that we refuse to give money to could be the final test before our
“breakthrough”. She/he could be put on our paths as a test from
God to see if we'll give to the poor (as he commands in the Bible).
Money has such a strong influence on people, and the love of it is
the root of all evil. The Bible states that we can't serve two
masters, either God or money. Many times, God will test us according
to our finances (as he does with tithes and offering). If we pay our tithes/offering, its purpose is to go to "building the
kingdom of God". If we send money to relief funds and other ads
on television, it is to help victims that are enduring poverty. We
don't truly know where the finances go. We have no idea if it's used
for the things it was intended to be for. We should give out of the
kindness of our hearts, and pray that God uses it for the purpose in which it was raised.
When
we give, we should give from our hearts. We should not be concerned
with how it will be spent. Some of us were gamblers before. We were not concerned with how the money we lost from gambling was spent. Neither should we be worried about the money that is given just as freely. If I were to give homeless Bob (for the sake of this example)
$10, should I vow to never to give to the homeless again if I see Bob using that $10 to purchase cigarettes?
No. The $10 is no longer mine. I gave out of the kindness of my
heart, and God will reward me for it. Not all homeless people are drug addicts. Some of them are the sweetest people ever that happened to have fallen on hard times. Some of them truly want money for food and personal items. When we assume that they may use money for the wrong reasons, it says more about us than it does them. Ask God to give you a heart like His when it comes to giving.
Don't
forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this
have entertained angels without realizing it! - Hebrews 13:2
You
must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give
reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person
who gives cheerfully. - 2 Corinthians 9:7
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