SCRIPTURE:
“I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
Matthew 25:36
VISIT
On day six of the devo I spoke about how the message of Christmas should be good news for the poor. Especially for the poor. So I’ve thought about that and today’s scripture gave me the perfect opportunity to share everything that I’ve taught about as I reflected on how Christmas can be good news to the poor.
Here are some practical ways you can help the poor this season.· Carry some money or goodie bags with you and every homeless person that ask you for money, help them with one of those two. Don’t deny any person who asks for help.
By now you have probably received tons of letters in the mail to donate to your favorite ministry or non-profit. Just today I received mailings from Family Promise (homeless ministry), Grace Church, Carillon Church, and the past weeks I’ve received from other non-profits. Gather all of those and make a contribution. Even if it’s $1.
·Donate socks and blankets to homeless shelters. Try and put in some socks and/or blankets in your goodie bags. According to Eric Gray (former director of the biggest non-profit in Orlando, who may be on the Wesley board!) that’s the biggest need right now. Socks and Blankets.
· Every time you go out to eat leave a generous tip
· Donate to Angel Tree or Christmas in the City
· Donate to Wesley. Every leader should be making a generous one-time donation. If you already gave. Thank you!
Story Time. I had two very interesting interactions with some people who were asking for financial help the last couple of weeks. Fluffy Baby
I walked into a pizza place and they were asking that we take home an Angel Tree and return gifts to the families in need the following Tuesday. I was in Charlotte, NC at the time and offered to support financially instead. The person telling me about the opportunity went to ask their manager if I could contribute financially. The manager said no. She came back and told me the manager said no and then she told me that she was collecting money in her cash app, send money to xFluffyBaby she said. She was collecting money and at the end of the year she was going to buy a bunch of toys and donate to children in need. I told Charity and she was like “Nah Bro, you should donate to the ministry instead.” She was right. So we will be making a contribution to the salvation army. All that to say that you should use wisdom. Charity is the kind of person who prefers giving practical things to people she doesn’t know. Me? I just give money to anyone. But this is why she makes me a better person. So use wisdom.
The second story was about a man who walked up to us while we were eating in our car and he asked us to help him by buying a meal. I told him that after we eat I can meet him somewhere and buy him a meal. We agreed to meet at the Mcdonalds nearby. So after we ate we went to the Mcdonalds and he wasn’t there. All that to say is that you should try your best to help people but sometimes the task is not yours. I’m praying that he found someone else to help him. Do your best to help people but don’t obsess and shame yourself if you couldn’t help the person. I left that situation sad but also knowing I really tried to help them. So no shame.
It reminds me of the story of the good Samaritan. The good Samaritan wasn’t the only good neighbor in the story. The inn keeper did a lot of the work. Read the story. Luke 10:25-37. If I had more time I would love to share with you the guidelines monks use when they give money. They have a whole list of things they consider before giving. If you have time check out this cool wikipage on the way that other religions discern their giving. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alms
In the end, make sure you are helping the poor this season.If you have any other ideas let me know.