One of the most repeated themes in the bible is giving to those in need. There are many bible verses that talk about the importance of giving and helping those in need. When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment? He said this in Mark 12:3-31, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” What greater way is there to show you love for your neighbor than by giving what you have to help those in need?

Proverbs 19:17 says, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” This verse says that giving to the poor and needy is giving to the Lord. You might say, but I am not rich and I don’t have a lot of money to give to the needy. There are a lot of other ways to give to others in need outside of lending money. We all have things that we do not use lying around the house. Maybe we have shoes that we never use or clothes that we never wear anymore, toys and games that our kids do not use anymore, books that are not being read anymore. What are we doing storing all these things in our house? when we can give them to someone who really needs them.

Hebrews 13:16 says, “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” This verse literally says to share from what you have already and how many of us have things stored up around the house that we really do not need, What a blessing it will be if they can be used to help those in need? Matthew 5:42 says “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” If someone asks you to help them and if we are in any position to help them either with money or with our possession then Jesus asks us to help them. We are not to turn away from those who need our help especially if we have it in our capacity to give.

Jesus says in Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Giving to someone who needs it will never go unseen by the Lord. You are doing what He commanded us to do and also building up future blessings in the process. 2 Corinthians 9:7-9 says “ Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written, “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” God loves someone who loves to give, especially when it is done with a cheerful heart and their generosity will be remembered by the Lord forever.

God also wants us to give for the right reasons. When we give to others we should not boast about it or let everyone know that we are giving but we need to do it in secret. Matthew 6:1-4 says, “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” This is the hardest part about giving. It is easy to give when we get credit for it. Giving in secret is what is expected from us as it shows to the Lord that we are giving for the right reasons. With that in mind let us continue giving to those in need. What better is there to show God’s love towards our fellow human beings than to help our own brothers and sisters when they are in need?