Luke 12:32-33: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor.”

God had taken care of all our big issues of his kingdom, such as life and salvation. He continues to take care of our smaller needs, like money or food, as well. This leads Jesus to the conclusion that we can live our lives for others.

When he says, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor,” he is not implying that we must sell all our possessions. Rather, he is assuring us that God has empowered us to take care of the needs of others, and we can do so confidently. After all, God has given us a whole kingdom, right?

Helping others is a major reason for which he has given us our possessions. We might be tempted to wonder, “Why did God give me these things if he doesn’t want me to use them all for myself? Why doesn’t he just give others what they need directly and leave me with my things?” 

But the Lord has a beautiful reason for doing it this way.

When God asks us to help others, he is giving us an opportunity to demonstrate our love. Caring for someone else’s needs brings us together, creating or strengthening a bond. In addition to material support, those we help are uplifted emotionally. They feel cared for. 

God did not create us to be independent; he placed us here with others and made us interdependent. This is why he gives my neighbor a need for me to fulfill and gives me a need for my neighbor to fulfill. 

We also understand our neighbor’s greatest need: the Bread of Life. Jesus promised that God has given us the kingdom, which is the great possession that makes everything else possible. 

Can we give others everything else and withhold the greatest thing we have? Haven’t God’s promises made us free and confident to do whatever it takes to share the kingdom with others? We need not be afraid to give sacrificially in support of ministry at home or missions far away, because the Lord himself enables us to do so. 

Nourish your faith in between Sundays by reading more of John’s writings at BitsOfBread.org.