Giving to the Needy is Easy and Compulsory

^{Posted by chris on Sunday 3:18pm, April 20th 2008}

On a hot Saturday morning we gave out care packages with personal hygiene products, cold bottled water, and a breakfast sandwich to the residents of Ala Moana Beach Park. We also included in the packages a copy of the new testament bible, a cool evangelical book, and More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell. The idea was to meet their physical and spiritual needs. I really hope that above all, the people that received the packages felt God's love.

James 2:14-19 makes a case that our faith requires that we do something to ease the pain in the world. It's not enough to believe that God exists. Believing in the existence of God puts us on the same spiritual level as demons! We have to put our trust in God and our lives at stake. In other words we have to throw our chips in with Him.

God asks us to love our neighbor as ourselves. God's love isn't some fluffy, warm feeling. God's love, should we choose to accept it, is deliberate, thought out, and it meets people's needs. God desires a great world, not just a great church. It's a good thing to be out there in situations that force us to rely on God.

Thankfully we found out that it's not that hard to help people in practical ways. Here's a few practical tips on giving to homeless people:

It's dangerous for homeless people to sleep at night so they sleep during the day. Don't obnoxiously wake them up. Leave the packages with their belongings.
Some homeless people aren't safe for youth to be around. Have able chaperones in sight of the homeless and the youth.
Humble ourselves. How can we live the way we do when people in our very city are in need. We have to realize how good we are not, how others are suffering, and to wipe that silly smile off our faces. Look to James 4:9-10 for inspiration.
Ask them to, “Please, take this package.” Look at it this way, they do us a favor by allowing us to show them God's love. It feels really nice when people can accept God's love.
Talk about it afterwards. Share your experiences. That's fellowship.

I hate that I find myself so inadequate to represent Jesus, but I find hope in trusting and obeying God. May we do God's will and let loose heaven on earth.

James 2:14-19

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder.