Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. Matthew 5:42
“While communication between potential donors and recipients may be one way to increase generosity, that doesn’t mean people like it: One study found that people will often go out of their way to avoid being asked. Another study found that a charity doorknob flyer that informed people of when a future solicitation was to take place reduced the number of people who answered their doors by 9 to 25 percent and, if the flyer allowed people to check a Do Not Disturb box, it decreased giving by 28 to 42 percent.
Summer Allen in “The Science of Generosity” White Paper produced by the Greater Good Science Center.
This topic is serious. The 42 percent who say “do not disturb” reveal something that is downright disturbing to me about the condition of the hearts of these people.
When they had a debt of sin that they could not repay they asked God for help. But when someone needs a small amount, they not only don’t want to help they don’t want to be bothered.
There’s a parable about this called the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18:21-35. Merciless people reveal they neither understand forgiveness nor who owns them and the money they possess.
The reason this topic is so disturbing is the measure we extend to others will be extended to us. I quiver a the eternal implications. If we are merciless to others, should we anticipate mercy from God.
Next time someone asks you for money, be merciful. Give something in gratitude for all you received from Christ. To support GTP efforts to empower workers in Jamaica and Cayman Islands, click here.