Should

This week, we are talking about giving ... God’s challenge to be generous. Over the next two days, we will look at part of the covenant God made with the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land. These passages are very important because they provide us a glimpse at God’s heart on this subject and God’s expectations for us followers of Him.


Deuteronomy 15
1 “At the end of every seventh year you must cancel the debts of everyone who owes you money.
2 This is how it must be done. Everyone must cancel the loans they have made to their fellow Israelites. They must not demand payment from their neighbors or relatives, for the Lord’s time of release has arrived.
3 This release from debt, however, applies only to your fellow Israelites - not to the foreigners living among you.
4 “There should be no poor among you, for the Lord your God will greatly bless you in the land he is giving you as a special possession.
5 You will receive this blessing if you are careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today.
6 The Lord your God will bless you as he has promised. You will lend money to many nations but will never need to borrow. You will rule many nations, but they will not rule over you.
7 “But if there are any poor Israelites in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them.
8 Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need.
9 Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year for canceling debts is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the Lord, you will be considered guilty of sin.
10 Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.
11 There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.


Should. I am challenged by the phrase, “There should be no poor among you.” It insinuates that if those of us that call ourselves followers of God are doing our part to care for the less fortunate then that statement would be true. Is it? Are we all doing our part? The first step is asking God to examine our hearts ... healing any areas that could be labeled “hard-hearted” or “tightfisted” and replacing them with parts that could be labeled “gives generously” and “shares freely”. At Eastside, I invite you to join us this month in caring for our community by providing resources for the Food Pantry or preparing/delivering food to the local homeless shelter (June 19th) or preparing donated goods for shipment at Matthew 25 Ministries (June 27th) or delivering furniture with New Life Furniture (June 27th). Can we fix all the problems of the world? No; but we can fix some of the problems. Please help us care for our community.