A Giving Heart

Based on Deuteronomy 13-15

Our daily lives are being impacted & affected (and infected) by this disease in an incredible way. Our daily routines are completely interrupted. But what about those who don't have enough as it is? The "panic mode" of some people is causing hoarding of supplies, and this leaves none for the people who can only afford some, not all. And what about the extremely poor & homeless? The ones who have it hard will always have it hard unless we have a giving heart...especially now!

"And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers; When thou shalt hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the Lord thy God." Deuteronomy 13:17‭-‬18.

This theme of being "keepers of The Word" has filtered through the entire book of Deuteronomy. One of the things that this entails is caring & tending to the less fortunate. While monetary form may be a risk, since we do not know if we could be a hindrance in feeding an unhealthy habit, it is always easy to give some sort of food or even a blanket! As the Scripture states, The Lord has mercy and compassion, so we should too! We need to be like Jesus & do that which is right!

The people of God should be doing this first, it is our duty according to His Word!

"For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth." Deuteronomy 14:2.

We need the Holy Ghost, as I've talked about receiving in previous posts-IT IS ESSENTIAL! We need to be holy unto The Lord. We need to sometimes be the different ones-the peculiar people. While many out there may only be concerned about themselves, we need to be concerned about others! And not just checking in to see if they have groceries, but seeing if they have the hope of God in their lives!

"And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest." Deuteronomy 14:29.

There was a special time after 3 years where the Israelites gave of their increase to the different groups of people listed above. While we can keep the poor in mind all the time, there are sometimes special circumstances (like this day & hour) where we should be especially mindful! The fatherless. The widow. Everyone!

I saw a quote recently-some people are feeding their greed rather than feeding their need. Instead of having a selfish agenda, let's have a giving agenda!

"Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day. For the Lord thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee." Deuteronomy 15:5‭-‬6.

God will strengthen us as a nation when we obey His Word. Then, we can be the one to reach out & help other nations! Although the whole world is in a difficult spot right now, we can start to prosper only if we get closer to God! Then we can be able to give & help more abundantly!

"But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth." Deuteronomy 15:8.

Even in the difficulty, we don't need to panic! Again, the greed, or the need?

"Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land." Deuteronomy 15:10‭-‬11.

God is our Provider. When we have Him, we have all we need! Yes, we should prepare-but we shouldn't panic! Let's have giving hearts. Again, let's be keepers of The Word. It's the only way to strengthen & bless our nation, and our world!