Daily Reading
Scripture
19 “When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don’t go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all you do. 20 When you beat the olives from your olive trees, don’t go over the boughs twice. Leave the remaining olives for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. 21 When you gather the grapes in your vineyard, don’t glean the vines after they are picked. Leave the remaining grapes for the foreigners, orphans, and widows.(Deut 24:19-21)
Observation
What this scripture says: You are blessed with abundance, so leave some of your abundance for people who are not so blessed to come and gather for themselves.
What this scriputre does NOT say: You are blessed with abundance, so take all of your abundance and package it up in neat bundles and distribute it among those who are not so blessed.
Application
In our day of fast food, bailouts and entitlement syndromes, this scripture really jumps out at me. It states that there are, in fact, people who have and people who do not. Those running America toeday feel this is not acceptable. Everyone is entitled to have what the person next door has. Oh, and don’t worry about getting off the couch and working for it, we’ll bring it right to your door. As a matter of fact, you’ll see it in the next government check you get in the mail. (I started listing examples, but I started sounding very negative, so I erased it all). What does God have to say about this? He wants those of us who have extra to help those who are in need, but they must work for it as well. God did not say to bundle up the grain and give it to the needy, but LEAVE IT for them to come get themselves. They still had to work. They did not get a break because they were poor. Want to know why America does not seem blessed anymore? Right after God says to LEAVE IT He says, “Then the Lord your God will bless you in all you do.” Hmmmmm. . . Let’s think about that one for a while.
Prayer
Lord, show me how I can help those in need without enabling them. I want Your blessing, but I want them to be blessed, too. I know hand-outs may seem like a blessing, but they are really a curse. Teach us to utilize our abundance in a way that invites Your blessing. Forgive my negative attitude towards “entitled” people. I realize that we have created that mentality. Thank-you for blessing me with abundance.
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