California was once a beautiful state… filled with great cities, bountiful farms, and natural wonders like Yosemite National Park. Not so long ago, I visited there to conduct the memorial service for a former client (dear friend of mine) who had passed away. The streets on the way to my former client’s offices were nothing like I’d last seen them over 20 years ago. Pristine parks were filled with shabby tents, piles of rotting rubbish, and foul-smelling excrement. Spaces under freeway overpasses were lined with homeless encampments that went on for blocks. Rats are the rule in those areas, exposing those who “live” there to a variety of serious diseases. As my taxi driver took me to the memorial venue, there were beggars on street corners holding makeshift cardboard signs asking for money for food or gas… some guilting those who passed by for any cash they could spare. We don’t see that here in Parker County, Texas… However, this scenario is not limited to California; it has spread across America. The mainstream leftist media and politicians are not being forthcoming about the To receive new posts, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. problem; instead, they are oblivious to it. They hope those of us who don’t live in the big cities won’t become aware of the kind of hopeless squalor that grows in area and numbers every month. In the past, I’d carry one-dollar bills in my car’s center console and my side pocket to have easy access to cash when I encountered one of them. But I have changed my mind on this... My purpose in writing this is not to vilify the homeless, street beggars, or politicians who are often blamed for the situation. Rather, I want to offer options to those Christians who might struggle with their response to this difficult and heartbreaking problem. Some people feel comfortable handing out money, believing it is then up to the beggar to determine how to use it, whether to buy food or alcohol/drugs. Some people give food/water instead of money, assuming that some beggars would not use the money for the uses the giver intended. Still others, rather than giving money, prefer to financially support rescue missions that help the poor who would otherwise be begging on the street. It’s a choice we all need to make. God expects His people to help those who are homeless or poor. In Leviticus 25:35, God commands His people to help support those who have no home and cannot support themselves: “If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you”. The Lord rebuked those who kept the outward form of religion yet did not care for the poor: “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen . . . to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” (Isaiah 58:6-7). The book of Proverbs lays down the principle of giving to the poor and attaches it to a blessing “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done” (Proverbs 19:17). Those who refuse to help the poor will find themselves on the losing end “Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses” (Proverbs 28:27). Jesus and His disciples regularly gave to the poor (see John 13:29), and Jesus commands that we follow His example and also care for the poor “Give to the one who asks you and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you” (Matthew 5:42). As James points out, talk is cheap; our talk (and our faith) must be accompanied by action: “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2:15–16). What is the right thing to do? How are we to respond as Christians? Biblically, we are to help the poor and not hurt them. But, does our responsibility end with the giving, or should we give and make sure our gifts are used for the right purposes, and not enable them to buy drugs and alcohol? During my years in ministry, I have talked to several former drug/alcohol abusers. They tell me that a large percentage of street people beg for money to feed their addictions… the ones who are clean and sober normally go to shelters for food and a safe place to sleep. I now donate to a charity in Fort Worth and mostly keep my money in my pocket. There are exceptions, but I will ask the Lord in prayer before I hand money to a street beggar and enable them to stay in their addiction rather than seek recovery in a shelter or other program. It’s a tough call… What do you do? Help others by helping us spread the word…
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