Needs Prevalent All Year
He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live to please themselves. Instead, they will live to please Christ, who died and was raised for them.
-- 2 Corinthians 5:15
The Christmas spirit is everywhere. Look around you. Bells ring as we pass the Salvation Army kettles. Angels hang from trees, waiting to be picked. Canned food collection boxes are everywhere it seems. Signs mark drop-off points for Toys for Tots donations. We are full of cheer and in the giving spirit.
But what happens on December 26th? The needs are still there. Oh, the kids aren’t expecting Santa Claus but they’re still hungry, still lacking basic necessities. What about the elderly? What about those who are all alone? They are just as in need the day after Christmas as they are in the weeks before Christmas. Why don’t we seem to care as much after Christmas as we appear to care before Christmas?
I know. We’re too busy recovering from the buying frenzy that began on Black Friday. We’re tired and broke. Tapped out. The poor are someone else’s problem. Let the government take care of it. The church has a fund for that sort of thing. We’re full of reasons and excuses. Not that any of it matters.
What would Jesus do? That’s become a cliché but it doesn’t lesson the heart of the question. Would Jesus say the poor are someone else’s problem? Would Jesus be too busy? Would Jesus refuse to share His food? Would Jesus find time to visit the elderly? Would Jesus feed the children?
Of course He would. So if we are new in Christ, if we are called to live as Jesus, then why do we think it’s okay to have a seasonal spirit of giving rather than a dedicated life to helping those in need? Why do we believe we get to choose who to help, when it’s convenient, spending only what we determine won’t impact our own lives negatively?
We believe. Oh, how we believe. Our faith is so very strong. Until we are called to give sacrificially to someone we don’t know, someone we think just might be unworthy, someone who isn’t like us. Our faith only seems to go so far.
I understand about budgets and realities and needs. I also understand that most of us whine and complain about what we don’t have even though our needs are being met. We can’t seem to distinguish between need and want. We don’t want to give up those wants. We don’t think we should have to.
Any maybe we shouldn’t have to. But neither should people go hungry, do without medical care or live on the streets or in rundown hotels. Jesus doesn’t ask that we first determine their worthiness, He simply calls us to help. Every day of the year. Whether we feel like it or not. Whether we’re in the giving mood or not.
In a few weeks we’ll be making New Year’s resolutions. Let us commit our lives to pleasing Christ -- every day of the year.
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