Don’t ask “Where’s my money?”

Deuteronomy 24: ¹⁰ When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not go into their house to get what is offered to you as a pledge. ¹¹ Stay outside and let the neighbor to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you. ¹² If the neighbor is poor, do not go to sleep with their pledge in your possession. 

¹³ Return their cloak by sunset so that your neighbor may sleep in it. Then they will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the Lord your God.

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“Can I borrow $20” were the strangest words I heard coming from a person I just met the day before. We were coworkers and this guy was older than me. I was fresh out of college and this guy is asking me for money!  “NO indeed” was my initial thought, but something nagged at me.

I wrestled with it and said “No” without asking many questions.

• At one point I kept my possessions a secret for fear someone would want to borrow from me.
• At one point I would stay away from the needy for fear that they may need something from me.
• At one point I would evaluate the need and automatically say “No” requiring the needy person to convince me of their need.

Loaning money is a very touchy subject because no one ever has enough. When someone asked me for money, it meant I had to sacrifice to accommodate the need which made me feel uncomfortable so I avoided like the plague. But what does GOD think.

• GOD wants me to be wise and generous.
• GOD wants me to find the poor and loan what I don’t expect to get back.
• GOD wants me to treat the person I loaned the money to with respect.

Loaning money is sometimes difficult because it seems like 12 others would come out the woodwork when they hear of this kind act. GOD provides me with wisdom to loan to the right people and is working on my generosity to not expect it back.

• Are you afraid of loaning money?
• Does pride make you give instead of loaning the money?
• Are you holding onto money so tightly that you cannot foresee loaning money to anyone?
• When you loan to the poor can you treat them with respect and “ask” for repayment instead of demanding it?

Be compassionate with cash

Exodus 22: ²⁵ “If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest. ²⁶ If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, return it by sunset, ²⁷ because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in? When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.

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It seemed like there was an extra dose of homeless this particular day.  I thought about it and was convinced that maybe I should tell a person about CHRIST instead of giving them cash. I stepped up on my pedestal and began talking down to this lowly thing of a person. “Uh huh, yeah, um hmm” were the patronizing replies to my rants.

“There” I thought to myself. I had pushed on him the greatest gift he could ever accept. I’m sure both of us were rewarded that day and I didn’t have to give him money!

• The love of money causes me to treat people like business transactions.
• The love of money strikes fear in me that I will lose it or have it stolen.
• The love of money makes me decide to keep it rather than give it away.

Money matters make me miserly. In other words the more money I get the more I try to protect the wealth and I lose my compassion for people. I dream of reasons they are poor or homeless and chalk it up to some bad choice, or a mental disease or an addiction rationalizing why this person doesn’t need my cash. BUT GOD has compassion.

• GOD has given plenty to me so I may give to others.
• GOD wants me to get over my fear of losing stuff and be compassionate to HIS people.
• GOD desires me to see needy people instead of “hiding” from them in order to keep my stuff.

I keep imagining standing in front of GOD, having HIM display my gadgets, trinkets and bobbles, then showing me all the people I passed by who could have used a meal that day. Yes, GOD wants me to spread the gift of salvation but if love and compassion are not with the message I’m wasting my time.

• Is there someone you need to show compassion to?
• Is fear holding you back from giving to that person?
• Can you show compassion to someone today?
• Won’t you ask GOD who you are supposed to help and “how” HE wants you to help them?

Generosity is not conditional.

Luke 3: ¹¹ John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

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As an executive I drove a company luxury car but when the position was cut from the company I found myself without a car. For the first time in years I had to think about survival rather than excess.

Without asking any questions my father in law gave me his van and told me to keep it as long as I needed to. Wow! “I wish I could do that” I thought to myself.

• Generosity is not a condition of how much excess I have.
• Generosity is not a condition of how well my investments are doing.
• Generosity is not a condition of a tax write off.

It actually takes practice to be generous. I cannot wait for conditions to be perfect in order to start being generous. In fact most times it takes sacrifice to be generous because needs tend to pop up at absolutely the “wrong” time.

• To be generous like GOD wants I have to give up worrying about me and think of others.
• To be generous like GOD wants I have to want to please HIM instead of always seeking pleasure.
• To be generous like GOD wants I have to remove my conditions of how someone looks, acts, smells, or how they treat me.

It is never going to be the right time to be generous BUT GOD has given me just the right amount or right thing to share with “that” person. GOD has been extremely generous with me so it won’t hurt for me to do the same. Since GOD owns everything HE wants me to be generous with HIS possessions.

• Are you waiting for more money or stuff to be generous?
• Are you angry because you don’t have more?
• Will GOD ask you how much stuff did you acquire or will HE ask how much did you share?
• Will you sacrifice just this once to help “that” person?

Brother can you spare...

Matthew 5: ⁴² Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

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It seems like they were everywhere.  People had their hand out asking for stuff and I only had so much to go around.  I mean I wanted my new house, furniture, car, clothes and vacation. Can’t these people just pull themselves up by their “boot straps” and get it together? “All they have to do is…” Wasn’t my naïve young mind in a strange direction?

·         I don’t understand why there is an inequity of wealth, BUT GOD wants me to have compassion.
·         I don’t understand why it seems like the selfish get richer, BUT GOD wants me to be generous.
·         I don’t understand why someone who seems to be following GOD can be broke, BUT GOD wants me to share my wealth with them to show HIS generosity.

One way GOD wants to show humans HIS love is for me to be generous.  I’m not talking about selective generosity, I mean an overwhelming generosity that permeates every aspect of my life. In lean times HE wants me just as generous as times of plenty.

Generosity takes practice.  I can always find a reason not to give. “They aren’t organized” or “They don’t know what they want” or “they are not trying to help themselves” or “My bills are crawling all over me.” These are all reasons to zip up my wallet and hold back.

·         GOD gives me plenty so I can give plenty.
·         GOD loves when I am not selfish with the wealth HE has given me.
·         GOD desires that I spread the wealth to those in need to draw them closer to HIM.
 

My prayer for others has to be adjusted. Instead of praying for money to fall out of the sky for them and me, I pray the LORD meets our needs and draws us closer to HIM to be used as HIS instruments. A generous heart makes a great servant of GOD.

 
·         Are you questioning the plan of the person asking you for money?
·         Can you give to “that” person without complaining?
·         Is there someone you have in mind you can give to right now?