Our Every Man

“Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.” (Lu 6:30 AV)

The believer is to be generous with his resources.  This is not just material things. Time and talents are also to be considered.  This does not mean that no matter the request, we are obligated to sacrifice.  Proverbs chapter three and in verse twenty-seven tells us, “Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.” Generosity is governed by ability.  In this case, Solomon uses the word “power”.  In other words, if we can meet a need without violating other obligations, then we should.  There are several applications which we can make here.  The one which we want to muse over this day is two words.  “every man.”

There are those needs which push our buttons and those that do not.  There are those people who tend to get our sympathy or empathy, and those that do not.  There are those people who seem to be easier to minister too and those who do not.  Paul tells us our love should be without dissimulation.  Or, our love should be sincere and without preference.  This is hard to do.  One of the best examples of a failure to do that is Jonah.  Jonah, who was a prophet to the northern ten tribes of Israel had a bias against the people of Ninevah and fought his ministry with them even after God had used him.  Knowing what is ‘good’ for someone is also a key.  Just because someone expresses a need does not mean their definition of meeting that need is what they really need.  The other day I witnessed something that really impressed me.  Living in a large city, seeing beggars in the middle of the road is not uncommon.  This one particular day, we had stopped at a light and there stood a young man with a beggar’s sign.  Looking at him, one could assume he was a drug addict.  His appearance was such it was rather obvious he was abusing drugs.  In this situation, money is not a good idea.  The drug user will only use it to buy more drugs.  However, the car behind us handed him a zip-lock back with items in it.  I could clearly see a toothbrush, personal hygiene items, some first-aid items, and perhaps a coupon or two.  In other words, the person behind us gave to someone in need what they really needed and not what they had hoped to receive.  This spoke loudly to me.  There are things which we can do to help those who have a need.  And we should.

One of the greatest gifts we can give is the plan of salvation.  It was freely given to us.  Therefore, we should freely give to others.  Generosity is a hard thing.  And, just because we are generous with our finances, does not mean we are generous with all that we possess.  Sometimes, it is not money which people need.  Sometimes it is a friendly spirit.  Sometimes it is grace which they need.  Sometimes it is affirmation.  Other times, it is information.  Perhaps they need a comforting word or a smile.  Things that do not cost a thing but meet a need that money cannot buy.  The Bible clearly teaches that if someone expressed a need which we can fulfill, we are not to deny them.  This is hard.  But it is a characteristic of the Savior which we must be willing to share