Charity Begins at Home
1 John 3:17-18 Suppose a believer who is rich enough to have all the necessities of life sees a fellow believer who is poor and does not have even basic needs. What if the rich believer does not help the poor one? Then it is clear that God's love is not in that person's heart. My children, our love should not be only words and talk. No, our love must be real. We must show our love by the things we do.
It is so easy for us to say one thing and do the other. Listen sometime, to the words you sing in the songs at church of a Sunday, and ask yourself, “Do I really live like this, or are they just words I sing?”
Some years ago, the leadership team of our local church were all away at the annual church camp, leaving me to lead worship and to preach on Sunday.
At the end of the service, a man came forward for prayer. He couldn’t make his car payment and the finance company was about to repossess his car.
So, I prayed for him and sent him on his way, thinking to myself, “The church should help this guy!!” Then I realised, at this point, I was it! To him, I was the church. He didn’t need all that much and I had plenty to spare. I was so conflicted and so challenged. Do I, don’t I?
So I called him back and wrote him a cheque.
Now I don’t normally talk of these things and the last thing I want you to think is that I’m some great guy. This giving didn’t flow naturally – it took a real work of God to convict me. Truly it did. The Holy Spirit reminded me of this:
1 John 3:17-18 Suppose a believer who is rich enough to have all the necessities of life sees a fellow believer who is poor and does not have even basic needs. What if the rich believer does not help the poor one? Then it is clear that God’s love is not in that person’s heart. My children, our love should not be only words and talk. No, our love must be real. We must show our love by the things we do.
That’s the bottom line isn’t it? We either believe what we say and live it out, or, we live as hypocrites.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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