There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land. Deuteronomy 15:11
“The emphasis here is not on the fact of poverty but instead, as in so many other passages, on loving and helping–always helping. As we all know, there are plenty of poor and needy people in our land, and God expects us to be openhanded toward them…
God’s vision is a big one, and his plan is to build a team of followers to live out that vision. There is a place for you on that team. In fact, there is a “no cut” rule, so you can rest assured that there is a role for you to play.”
Roland Hoksbergen in Serving God Globally: Finding Your Place in International Development (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2012) 6.
As today is our last full day in Guatemala, this quote is timely. I am teaching, my wife is helping plan for VBS among the Treasures and our two teens are building bunk beds in shantytown homes. With openhanded generosity we will empty ourselves thanks to the strength and supplies that God provides.
Tomorrow we will board a plane and head back to Denver. We are handing the baton of service here to friends from Indiana who arrived over the weekend, the Rathbun family. God will undoubtedly raise up others to follow them. Will you be play a role in God’s big vision here or somewhere else among the poor through loving and helping?