To Give or To Receive?

Deuteronomy 15:7-8 “If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.”

A preacher friend and I were out making a visit during our week of revival meetings. The pastor was dressed in his normal shirt and tie, and since he was driving, we took his Ford Crown Victoria. The person we were visiting lived in a bad part of town; and to my amazement, people all over the neighborhood scattered in every direction when we pulled into the driveway. When the person recognized the preacher, he yelled to the others, “Come on back; it’s just the preacher!” I finally put the “official-looking” Crown Vic with the man in a shirt and tie, and realized the neighborhood thought we were the law!

Sometimes the perspective we have about ourselves is different from the perspective others have. Let me illustrate by asking a loaded question: How much money do you have? If you only concern yourself with your needs, and you are made to “have to” give, you are not a giver-and you are the one missing out! There is a connection between your hand and your heart, and this passage in Deuteronomy 15 points this out. A hard heart equals a shut hand.

To answer my previous question, you are either rich or poor with whom you compare yourself. Compared to Bill Gates, you are poor. Compared to a person in a third-world country, you and I have it pretty good. The point is, you either see yourself as rich or poor, depending on whom you compare yourself to.

However, there is more than one kind of poverty. There are people who are making it financially that do not have half the knowledge, wisdom, or encouragement you may have.

When you give, remember where you were-that is, remember what the Lord has done for you. The “things” they had were given to them from God by the Egyptians. You can read about that in Exodus 3:21-22. It was God’s plan to provide for them when they had nothing; but now that they had it, they were tempted to have a hard heart toward a needy brother.

You may be “poor” today, but the best way to have your needs met is to give. It is tempting to always see yourself as poor, in need, and as “the guest.” But repeatedly in this chapter, the Lord promises to the giver, “The LORD God shall bless thee.” I say this reverently, but God has obligated Himself to give to givers. Givers never lack something to give.

I remember our family coming home from traveling in revival work. Our “home” most of the year was a travel trailer, but we had a house here on the Ranch when we were home. From my perspective as a kid, our house seemed so huge compared to the trailer that I would sleep in the hallway! How you see yourself this morning is dependent on your perspective. It is wonderful to receive . . . but there is something better. It is even better to receive because you have been giving.