Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Chapter 13 ~ A Helping Hand ~ Her Mercy

Proverbs 31:20 "She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy."

God's beautiful woman has been impressive, to say the least! We've learned how she excels in being trustworthy, supportive, diligent, industrious, thrifty, creative, organized, and a micro~manager. Today, we're going to witness her generous spirit of mercy. Mrs. George writes, "Her efforts and her virtues benefit her precious family, but she is ever ready to bestow the soft grace of mercy to the unfortunate. Although she is busy with her household, she's not so busy that she forgets the needs of others."

Her Hand:
"She stretcheth out (extends) her hand to the poor..." This image of her extending a single hand reveals her generous, giving nature." For example, if one is in need of money, she reaches into her purse and shares her wealth. If one needs bread, she offers a loaf. If one is in need of clothing, she offers one of her beautiful cloaks. (Which, by the way, were sometimes worth more than 2 month's wages!) How compassionate she is! Remember all the time and effort she put into making such a garment? She is charitable enough to give the best she can ~ simply for someone in need!

Her Hands:
"...yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy." This beautiful lady not only gives away things, but also her time. The plural "hands" means that she was actively doing something that required two hands. Nursing the sick, taking care of babies, small children, and the elderly were things that she might have done. "Whatever the need, she holds out her hands ~ her literal, open, upturned palms ~ to offer any profits or profitable activities."

Her Heart:
Our godly lady doesn't do these charitable things out of mere duty. Her compassionate heart is ever watching for the opportunity to minister to others. "The verbs 'extends' and 'reaches out' suggest that her giving stretches as far as her means will allow." Instead of using her hands as a means for idleness, frantic grasping for wealth, or clenching a tight fist to keep her wealth, she extends her hands to help others in need. "Rather than drawing a tight circle around her family and shutting others out, she follows her heart, opens the circle, and takes them in."

Her Heeding of God's Word:
She ministers to the poor and needy because she has compassion, but she also wants to be obedient to the Lord. She fears (reveres) the Lord, (verse 30) and walks in obedience to His Word. Read what the Lord has to say about mercy in the following verses.
1. Deuteronomy 15:7-8
2. Micah 6:8
3. Proverbs 11:25
4. Proverbs 19:17
5. Proverbs 22:9
Consider this: Perhaps God's woman was blessed financially because of her generous heart.

Her Sisters of Mercy:
Read these inspiring stories of our sisters from God's Word.
1. Abigail ~ 1 Samuel 25
2. Widow of Zarephath ~ 1 Kings 17
3. The Shunamite Woman ~ 2 Kings 4
4. Dorcas ~ Acts 9

The How-To's of Beauty:
1. Begin at home. Mrs. George writes of Mrs. Edith Schaeffer's example of generosity to the "hobos and tramps" who rode the rails. Whenever one would come to her door to ask for a cup of coffee, she went above and beyond for the one in need. She considered this as an opportunity to do something for "one of the least of these" (Matthew 25:40) and as entertaining "angels unawares" (Hebrews 13:2). Although many would've considered her generous to hand him a Styrofoam cup of coffee and let him rest on her back porch, Mrs. Schaeffer went the extra mile to minister to these men.
She filled a tray with "toasted nuts, two generous sandwiches and heated leftover soup" and served them this nourishing meal on her "good china, [with] a bouquet of flowers, a lighted candle ~ and a copy of the gospel of John to read while he ate and take along with him when he went on his way."
Amazing! How that must have ministered those homeless, oft-rejected men's hearts! What a way to show someone the love of Christ!
2. Give regularly to your home church. My church has a food pantry for those in need. Around Christmas, we brought in canned goods, dry items as well as other non-perishable things to restock the pantry. Whenever someone calls for food, one of our staff fills a box of these items to give when the person arrives. Many congregants donated Wal-Mart gift cards as well. Sometimes we give to those who need help with their gas/electric bill. After we partake of the Lord's Table, we have an opportunity to give a benevolence offering. By faithfully giving of your tithes and offerings, your church can help others.
3. Keep your ear to the ground. In other words, be on the lookout for those who are in need. I have a dear friend who had unpaid medical bills after her baby was born. Someone heard about her family's struggle, and paid the bills ~ in full. After my oldest was born, the hubs and I had some financial troubles and didn't have enough money to buy groceries. We never mentioned our situation to anyone, but someone with a compassionate heart gave us a trunk full of groceries, even down to the exact brand/type of baby food I gave to my eldest. What a blessing they were to my family!
4. Support a worthy organization or person. Some ideas: You can give to your church's Mission program, pay the way for a child to go to church camp, or finance a person to go on a summer mission's trip.
5. Pray about a personal project. Mrs. George writes, "Ask God to direct you to your own personal ministry project which you can support financially."
6. Err on the side of generosity. "Money is less useful when it becomes stagnant." Be sure to work with your husband, though. Find out how he wants to help those in need.
7. Live out love. The early church father, Augustine, said this when asked what love looked like. "Love has hands to help others. It has feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has ears to hear the sighs and sorrow of men. This is what love looks
like."

As I re-read this post, I can't help but think of 1 Corinthians 13. "I may be able to speak the languages of men and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell." In other words, love (mercy) is action!

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