How Do You Interpret This Passage?
1:31 pm 
9 Comments
Do you take Jesus literally when he says “Give to everyone who begs from you…” (Luke 6:30)?
What is your approach when you are sitting at a stop light and someone is begging with a cardboard sign? What do you you when you are walking downtown and get hit up for some change?
Just Curious of your approach, and how you justify your approach.
Good question, Brent. I have sat thinking on this issues throughout the years. I often find myself in this situation at least once every two weeks whether I am driving off the interstate into Arlington or running errands. I feel convicted to give, but always question whether or not the individual is taking advantage. I have come to the conclusion that there is no way for me to know if the individual is being truthful or not. I would rather give to all than to loose the opportunity to help someone who is truly in need. I believe that I am responsible for my actions as they are for theirs. There have been various times when I have felt convicted and ignore it. When I have done this, there is a part of me that feels saddened and disappointed with myself, and I am always left with the question of whether I missed an opportunity to help. Of course, I always evaluate the safety of the situation if I am alone. If Will is with me, we often offer to buy them a meal and rarely give cash. We do this to make sure the money is used for basic needs and essential and not for things of a self-destructive nature. So, I guess I would have to say that I take it literally. I will ask you what you think at work on Monday.
I handle by emptying my pockets of change every day into a 5 gallon bucket. When this 5 gallon bucket is completely full of change I know it’s Cargo day…. and I get a car alarm. No car, just the alarm. I fill up my crago pants with all of that change and walk into the city. When a man begs for change i set off the car alarm and dance wildly while letting the man know that today is his lucky day! I shower him with all of the coins I have saved for his special day!
Of course I jest. And this is not an origional idea, its comedy.
When my 17 yr. old daughter was still a baby, I was approached in a parking lot at Kmart by a woman who said she’d been stranded and needed diapers and formula for her baby. I didn’t have cash so I declined to help and she went on her way. A wave of shame and guilt hit me when I realized I could’ve at least bought her some diapers and paid with a check. I looked for her but couldn’t find her. Now, I always give, no questions asked. When I lived in Northside, near Downtown Fort Worth, I ran through the drive-thru at McDonald’s and bought a Happy Meal for a homeless woman sitting at a traffic light. It was worth the $3 to see the smile on her face. It really doesn’t matter to me if they blow the money I give them. I know one day we’ll all have to answer to God for our actions and He can deal with it then.
I worked downtown Fort Worth for many years and Dallas for a couple of years. Everytime you walk through town to go to lunch or run an errand, you are approached. I always hesitated to give money because a large percent of the time, I knew it went to alcohol or drugs. I did many times buy lunch for someone begging. Now that I you’ve forced me to think about it, I believe I should accept that I am powerless over what they do with the money, follow God’s instructions and leave the rest in His hands.
Thanks Brent for putting this out to be pondered.
Always give if I have it, may not be much to be honest, don’t carry cash anymore. But if I have it, I give it. Not big on the organizations that do this to gather funds but I do to the individual that states they need it. I figure I give and the Lord sorts it out, I might have missed and given to a millionaire but I did what in my heart I felt was needed, let the millionaire deal with the Lord, yes the Lord does tell me to be wise with what he’s given me, I get the whole pearls before swine thing, I guess if I’m going to make a mistake I would rather say I gave out more than I should have than to say I didn’t do enough….
My thoughts…
Ang and I keep granola bars in our car and give’m out.
Thanks for the responses guys. I have gone through phases. There have been times when I gave, and left the results to God. There have been times when I was was worried about what would happen with the money, and so in my own wisdom did not give… After reading this passage the other day on http://www.examen.me, I am pretty sure I will just give.
I’m new to this blog and probably late to the conversation, but I was wondering if you had read “Under the Overpass?” It’s a book written by one of two men who, when they were at a Christian university, took the plunge to live as homeless men for four months in seven different cities at God’s leading. After their experience, one of them wrote this book, telling about his experiences. He also addressed this issue. He recommended that instead of giving money (he said that in most cases it did go to drugs or alcohol. A 40 oz. beer is only $2.50 and a nugget of marijuana is only $5.) give gift certificates to fast-food restaurants or you can buy gift certificates to many grocery store chains that can be used only to purchase food.
Anyhow, the book is definitely worth reading. The biggest thing he recommended was to spend time with the homeless. If you buy them a meal, sit down and eat with them and wait for the leading of the Spirit.
Great ideas Noelle. Great advice on giving. Thanks, and I hope that you come back to worshiply!