But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. -Matthew 6:3-4 (NIV)

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” -Mark 10:21 (NIV)

In the 1990s, Saturday Night Live comedian Dana Carvey played a popular character called The Church Lady, a fire and brimstone Protestant who “discovered” Satan in just about anything…even by transposing the letters in “Santa.” While many do argue that Santa Claus has nothing to do with Christmas, I found it helpful to explain to my little boy how he is connected with Christmas, and especially Jesus.

St. Nicholas was a boy born into a wealthy Mediterranean family, but lost his parents at a young age to due to an epidemic. Inspired by the words of Jesus, where He spoke of giving not only all of what we had to the poor, but in a manner where one hand did not know what the other was doing. Coming from a wealthy family, Nicholas had much to give. Often to avoid his own persecution and that of his recipients, he would give in secret by placing money in the shoes of those who would leave them out for him.

Nicholas was persecuted and imprisoned for his devout faith, then later attended the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325, and died 18 years later. Over the centuries, the figure of Santa Claus was mixed with the actual St. Nicholas…and we still celebrate the fusion today.

So I let my son know that to do right to please God is the reason to for living right, not getting presents from Santa Claus. I tell him that Santa works obediently for the Lord, and neither he nor the gifts he gives are the reason for “being good.” And we give because our hearts overflow with the love God showed us when He gave us the gift of Jesus, who gives us everlasting life and redemption.

It is easy for the Gospel to get lost in the materialistic shuffle of Christmas, and for a giant, gift-giving elf to overshadow baby Jesus…unless we make sure the young ones know that Santa was insipired by and lives in obedience to God…just as we should.

Christmas is a time to remember what we can give, rather than thinking about what we will receive…and Santa can remind us of that as he points us back to Jesus, the greatest giver of all.

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. -Colossians 3:23-24 (NASB)

An old friend of mine was recently burgled, and many material things were taken, especially belonging to his sons: their computers, game machines, etc. No one was hurt, however, so the loss of property did sting, but nowhere near what darkness could have befallen them.

He texted me the other day, asking if I might be able to help his sons. And that’s where an “I see what You did there, God!” moment appeared: I’ve been a tinkerer since I was a child, and coupled with some perfectly good recent-model laptops I obtained that were discarded for disposal, I knew his sons would have laptops again soon for their schoolwork.

On top of that, I could see that God could be known through how this would be handled. I was helping a friend who’d strayed from God into snake oil territory, so this opportunity might open his eyes. And, my son could help and learn how God works through His children as His hands and feet.

Over a weekend, my son and I refurbished the two laptops, more than good enough to meet a student’s needs. No, they weren’t superpowered machines to play the latest games on, but they seemed to represent exactly how God provides what you need, even if that isn’t a match for what you want.

The last step of this was delivery–and also a good witness. The natural response to receiving a gift is thanks and praise for the giver, but I made sure he knew that my son and I were merely instruments of God’s will, working through us. I wanted my friend to know one thing: God orchestrated the whole thing.

Today’s soundtrack

7eventh Time Down’s “God Is On The Move” reminds us that God works through people.

Buy “God Is On The Move” on Amazon »

Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the LORD your God will bless you in everything you do. -‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭15:10‬ ‭(NLT‬‬)

He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy. -Proverbs 14:31 (NKJV)

And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ -Matthew 25:40 (ESV)

Here in the United States, the gap between the homeless and everyone else is stark. And no matter who are, you can be an active servant of Christ in helping someone.

You don’t have to have a lot to give

Remember the widow who gave two mites in her offering to the temple? Jesus noted to His disciples that she gave far more than the wealthier attendees. Likewise, when we help others, what we do for the least is what we do for Christ.

Some really, really easy ways to give

• Buy one get one free coupons for restaurants and grocery stores mean that you could get double the food for the price you were going to pay anyway. You can buy yourself lunch, then give the other one to a person in need.
• Give what food and/or money you have on you.
• Buy an extra meal en route to work or home and give it to someone.
• See the same person at a corner where you drive/walk/commute? If you think you might have clothing that could fit them, bring it along next time.
• Pre-pack a large plastic zipper bag with clean socks, toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, travel mouthwash, wet wipes, and some protein bars. These very basic necessities aren’t readily available to the needy.
• Hand out clean water. Clean water is unbelievably hard to come by when you live on the streets.

Ways not to give

• Don’t give away spoiled food to pantries or shelters…or anyone!
• Don’t give a needy person canned food unless you’re also giving them a can opener, or unless that can already has a lid that opens without the need of implements.
• Don’t tell the recipient what they should or shouldn’t do with the money you give them. They will ultimately do what they choose with the gift God has used you to give them. It’s out of your hands.

Let them know God loves them

God works through people. Believers are His hands and feet. Be sure to let them know that whatever you’re giving them is from God, and to His glory and credit. We are merely very blessed servants of Christ, who are called to share our blessings and help others. Just watch, fellow agents, how God blesses you when you allow yourself to be His conduit for blessing others!

And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. -Luke 6:34 (NIV)

My mother harbor decades of resentment and indignation in her heart, and I’ve heard her voice it over the years. Since the 1980s, she took the initiative to sponsor and pay for housing for several of our relatives (both her and my father’s side). While our family struggled, the families she sacrificed to get to the United States thrived. But, she often would talk about how they did not give back to help the family that helped them have a new life of prosperity here in the States.

Even during and after my father’s funeral, my mother vented to me about how her brother-in-law (my father’s brother) and his family didn’t give a single penny to help with funeral costs. She fumed over how she–not my father–took the pains to sponsor them over to the United States, and this is how they repay her. (We actually received quite a helpful sum from friends, other family, and coworkers!)

If you give with expectation of repayment, or give with conditions regarding how the gift is spent or used, what kind of gift have you really given?

The gift that Jesus gave us on the cross is one we can never repay or equal. It is freely given, and is our choice to take it. It is not one that is conditional on us living a sinless life. It is one given sacrificially out of love, for our salvation and to God’s glory.

I knew that with the passing of my father so fresh in our minds and hearts, this wasn’t the time to talk about letting go of any expectations of repayment. I pray that through the grace walk of believers in her life (and besides me, there are very few!), she may see a glimpse of an eternal gift of far greater value than any we can give or receive here–and how it was freely given out of love.

So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. – 2 Corinthians 9:7

As someone who has worked with computers for decades, I’m naturally also tech support for friends and family. And the ultimate test of patience is tech support for your parents.

It was a weeknight, and my father’s internet went out. I knew I couldn’t even leave my house, on the other side of town, till 11 p.m. at the soonest. I was already worn from a long day, work-wise and personally.

So before I left the house, I made my attitude adjustments and stopped looking inward at my being tired, which could affect my mood. The bottom line at that point was: Could I safely make the drive, knowing I wouldn’t be home till almost 2 a.m., and then get up four hours later to drive into work again? I knew the answer was yes.

I asked God in prayer to carry me safely to and from my destination. I also asked Him to help me focus on Him, not myself, and be thankful for learning what I know, and being thought of enough to be asked for help.

I sang along with songs of praise the whole way there and back, and the long drive just flew by. It was also a blessing that there wasn’t much traffic at that time of night, either.

The next test of patience was getting there to determine, after a few minutes of troubleshooting, that nothing could be done, because the internet service to the house was down due to bad weather. So after I wrote my father a note explaining what was wrong (he was there but is terribly hard of hearing!), I headed out.

My car navigation didn’t give much advance notice of turns to take up ahead, so I ended up taking a longer way back home. But once I got home, that bed was very, very soft. I thanked the Lord for carrying me and watching over me through the long journey, and hoped I made Him known in that little errand.

We have so much to be thankful for, that we are truly rich, so why not give with a smile?

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. -Matthew 6:3-4 (NIV)

When you give to the needy, do you do it publicly, so others will see your generosity and big heart? Do you do it grudgingly? Do you do it with joy, or with a sour spirit?

There was a time, before I was saved, that I was approached by a homeless man for food. I agreed to get him a meal at a local fast food restaurant, and I remember getting annoyed that he wanted a more expensive meal than I intended to give him. Beggars can’t be choosers, right? I ended up getting him the meal he asked for, then I groused about it for some time afterward.

Oh, what a terrible way to go about it. Where’s the heart and love in giving like that?

And I still remember that, by taking longer to order food because I was too busy disagreeing with the man over what I would give him, it took a lot longer than necessary. That wasted time drew attention to the giving that was taking place.

Throughout most of chapter six in the Book of Matthew, Jesus talks about how to give and live. The first three parts of that chapter are his teachings on giving, prayer, and fasting…and for all three, he says to not make public shows of them, but to do them in secret.

After being saved, giving is a very different thing. Now, it’s a joy to give, and if I could talk to my past self, who would worry that I was giving away too much, I would tell him what Jesus said later in the same chapter:

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. -Matthew 6:31-34

In other words, God’s got your back! When you give and worry how you’ll make it if you give, you’re not trusting that the Lord has got you covered. He sees all, and see what you’re doing, and knows your needs.

So, fellow agent, go out into the world and see giving opportunities, because they are just that: opportunities! They are no longer “oh, great, the homeless guy is coming this way” moments.

And when you do that, you reflect His light. We are agents of light, are we not?

Today’s soundtrack

“Live Like That” by Sidewalk Prophets is believers’ desires to be Jesus to the least of us, set to music: