Under-writing the Poor

"He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, And he will reward him for what he has done." Prov 19:17

Sadness often awaits the poor.

The beggar exhales breathlessly in his pursuit of generosity. Holed shoes, matted hair and a frail frame receive little kindness. The silent growls of hunger are unobserved.

The opportunity for generosity is so fleeting. Passers-by, consumed in self focus, put forth the small change. Yet there is no generosity of heart in these givers, only an assuaged conscience. It is a simple human task to find fault in the beggar and so to excuse the ungenerous heart. However, God gives generously without finding fault (James 1:5b)

God has underwritten all that we would give to the poor. Our generosity will NOT make us poorer. No act of generosity to the poor is unobserved by God. His heart of love is one of attention and involvement especially for those less fortunate.

It is God's desire to be generous to those He sees are generous. God is no man's debtor. He is the rewarder who does not find fault!


The Reverse Gift

'It is more blessed to give than receive.' Acts 21:35b

Recently I saw an anonymous and most humble act of financial generosity from arguably the most selfish of all God's creatures, the teenage male. This teenager slept well that evening, he had an extra measure of grace and peace on his heart. He was blessed.

There are many paradoxes in life. You can't lose your anger by letting it go. Greed does not necessarily give wealth. And in the above verse Jesus says, (contrary to world opinion), that I am actually happier when I am not getting. Another demonstration of the 'reverseness' of life with Him.


I choose to give when I do not choose for greed. I choose to get by not choosing for my need. I choose to get, by giving away. I am actually better off (blessed) by not keeping for myself….even if my need is enormous.


I genuinely cheat myself when I withhold from God. It is so much easier to assent to this than do it. To withhold from God is to also misunderstand the nature of possessions. To withhold can be to my peril. He owns all. It came to me as a loan. Then I return it to Him. He then gives again. This is the reverse gift. With-holding takes me out of God's blessing cycle. Then, there is no reverse gift.


Yes, I simply am blessed by not keeping. I guess the proportion of my blessing is in direct proportion to my not keeping (giving away). We reap what we sow! God gives to us in reverse. His call on us is to be a river not a reservoir. The wise steward will ask God to show him his heart.