Leave Some

Leviticus 19:10 -"It is the same with your grape crop—don’t strip every last piece of fruit from the vines, and don’t pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. Leave them for the poor and for those traveling through, for I am Jehovah your God."     The blessing of having enough, and even better than that, the blessing of having more than enough carries with it instructions to share with others. God blesses us in many ways and magnitudes. God tells us that when he blesses our bounty, we are not to collect and hoard what he has allowed to increase. Some of our lives overflow in areas that are rather easy to share. If you are blessed to be financially comfortable it might not be taxing to contribute money to charitable causes, If you have talents that can be shared- that is wonderful and many may benefit from your inspirational singing, dancing, speaking, sewing, and artistry, These can be great areas to express altruism; where the giver bestows upon the receiver. 
     Many have and need to be blessed through these kind acts of sharing. But God tells us in this scripture that it is helpful to not bundle up all you have and then dole it out in increments to open hands; but to allow opportunities for those who are able and willing to "work" for the blessing of your overflow.     In essence God is blessing them through you, not because of you. This system allows the gleaner to appreciate the harvest, have pride in their work, and stops the devil from twisting helpful acts into areas of scorn. It never fails that the devil can turn altruistic gestures into scenarios of "look what I did for you" if we are not careful. The scripture tells us that when we provide opportunities for others to gain, we may never know who they are, their state of being; whether they are passing through our lives or will be regular fixtures of our destinies. The main point is that -no relevance is given to who you will help so there can be no prejudice. Help someone by giving them an opportunity to do a good work through you. Don't know what to do or how to proceed? Ask God- he is awesome in providing opportunities for us to be more like him.     Every day is a good day; it is up to us to make it a GREAT day! Be blessed. Rev. Dr. JoAnn

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