More Painless Ways To Give To the Poor

186 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 1Ti 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, Planned benevolence, (being ready to give) is a wonderful way to bless others, and today I want to give you some more ideas about how you might develop a simple plan to help the less fortunate. Sometimes we forget that one of the Christian disciplines is giving to the poor. Jesus said “WHEN you give,” not “if”! One of the ways that our family seeks to bless the less fortunate is to take them out to dinner with us. We don't “literally” bring them along (although one could certainly seek ways to do that) but we set aside a portion of our total bill and at the end of that month give that money to a local pantry, or trusted international relief agency, knowing that it will provide money for food for the poor. A quick example is, let's say my wife and I dine out and our total bill for two is 30 dollars. That's 15 dollars apiece, and so we set aside another 15 dollars for the purpose of providing meals for others through our church, local pantry, or other such ministry. Even as you pray over your meal in the restaurant, you might even ask God to bless the person who is going to benefit from your gift. This is planned painless benevolence that helps us respond to Jesus' statement “when you give to the poor!” Still another method that I have heard people use to bless the poor is to carry “care” packages in their cars. These packages include items like food coupons, or gift cards, or basic toiletry items and snack bars. The idea being that if you come across someone in need, you are not just throwing money at them, but giving them some very practical items to help them in their current situation. Painless, planned benevolence, is a great way to “be ready to give.” I encourage you for look for ways to try it and see how it might add a little cheer to your acts of giving!