The last subtitle in our lesson
encouraging us to be generous and unselfish with our money is “Do I Need to
Repent?” The passages tell
of the rich man in Hades asking Abraham to send Lazarus back to earth to
convince his five brothers to repent and be spared from the torment he finds
himself in.
Repentance is a funny term in
that it supposes that I have offended someone. However, I often give money to the poor and needy. In a fit of self-righteousness this
entire week I have congratulated myself on my willingness to give to the poor,
but I have missed the point. The
point is not, have I given to the poor, but do I see the poor as Christ sees
them…dearly loved children of God?
Giving money to a man on the street corner may alleviate my guilt toward
him, but if I do not see him as a child of God my greater guilt remains. I have offended God. That’s why God always looks at my heart. Giving to the poor may be an act of
self-righteousness or a learning tool for my children, but unless my redeemed
heart animates my life to act in love toward that man, my guilt remains.
The question then becomes, do I
love the poor and needy and an expression of that love is giving?
My dad was such a good teacher in
that lesson.
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