Have you ever pulled up to the red light and you see the guy? You know, the guy with the sign. ”Anything helps, God bless…” Suddenly, your phone is the most important thing to you as you try your best to avoid eye contact. The excuses run through your head, like, He will probably just buy drugs. If he can stand out here, he can get a job. If I give him something, he will never leave this corner. But then a verse like Deuteronomy 15:11 comes to mind.
Where is that line where helping turns into enabling? If I do it and so do 50 other people today, how is this helping him? All this time, the man on the corner is looking at you with those big sad eyes. Dirty, hungry, tired, and beatdown. And we rationalize over the $2 we have in our possession that we probably won’t miss anyway.
In John 21, Jesus asked Simon Peter 3 times if he loved him. When Peter answered him, God told him to feed and tend to his sheep. No excuses. If you love Jesus, you will take care of his people as the Spirit leads. There is no room for misinterpretation or fuzzy language. It is only a dilemma because we make it one. We must love and take care of one another. Treat the man on the corner like you would like to be treated if you were in his place.
_Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your guidance and your wisdom in times when I want to substitute my own. Please show me how I can show others your love through my actions. Give me clarity and a giving heart. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. _
Throughout this day: Ask God to help you see each person you meet as he does and to be open-handedly generous with the gifts he’s provided you.
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