Our Hand of Compassion

We’ve seen the pictures of starving children on the streets.

Please send money! You can save this hungry child today. Only $5 a month will provide two nutritious meals each day.

There’s no question that’s an agenda we can all take seriously. We can board that bandwagon, and people’s lives will be better.

What about, however, the family down the street that’s facing a hard time?

Or our cousin fighting addiction and unable to hold down a job?

Or our child’s classmate that wears worn-out clothing and doesn’t have classroom supplies?

Does the $5 child (as good as that program is) relieve us of our responsibility to those closer to home?

Proverbs 19:17 tells us:

“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.”

Handing $5 to the homeless man on the corner is not wasted cash.

Not by a long shot. Rather, it’s an investment.

An investment? How’s that? We gave it away.

True, but our action isn’t invisible. God is watching. He knows what we’ve done, and his heart swells with joy for our generosity.

Then God sees our need and he repays us generously for what we’ve given away.

Your donation to the homeless shelter? God will renew your business.
Your time spent with inner-city youth? God will lift you up in your family.
Your Wednesday evenings delivering meals to the poor? God will fill your pantry to overflowing.

It’s right there in the Word. God says he will repay you your deed.

How else do we say it? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

For us that means what we do for others, God will generously repay unto us.

When we offer compassion, God’s blessing flows back onto us.

Code: FGO.G.22.19d.vp.esv