Spirit of Generosity

Reflections for this date are based on the following scripture passages:

Deuteronomy 15

Deuteronomy 15:7-11 instructed the Israelites to be generous with their fellow Israelites. If a brother was in need one was to be generous toward him, loaning him "enough for whatever need he has." (Deuteronomy 15:8) The year of Jubilee was not to be a concern when making the loan. In that year, which came every 7 years, all debt was to be cancelled. So if it was the sixth year and a person was in need, one might not want to make the loan thinking it would never be repaid because of the debt cancellation the next year. But Moses said, "Give to him, and don't have a stingy heart when you give." (15:10)

There was a promise that came with these instructions: "the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you do." It was/is to be a win-win situation. Those who are need receive the help they need and those who help are blessed and will not be in need because of their generousity.

These principles are clear enough from a reading of the passage. However, we are then inclined to seek further answers asking such questions as: "Does this just apply to help for a spiritual brother or anyone?" Or, "If I help just anyone won't I just be enabling a person in a bad lifestyle?" Those are just two of a whole list of questions we might raise. There may well be legitimate questions that must be raised when a need presents itself. However, there is the risk when we start asking our questions that we might eliminate our obligation to help in any situation. In so doing, we also eliminate any blessing we might receive and eliminate help a person might receive that could make a significance difference in their life.

We will find little help from scripture to help answer these questions for it consistently admonishes us to be generous and to help those in need never offering guidelines for when we should be generous. But this is the case for much of what scripture teaches. Guidelines remove the need for us to seek God's guidance and it is that relationship of spending time with the Lord and following His leading in all matters that He encourages rather than to give us a rule for all situations.