WHAT A BLESSED TIME of wealth and prosperity we are privileged to live in! Our present needs are taken care of. The mortgage or the rent gets paid. The groceries are in the fridge. The light, gas, and water service is taken care of. The car is kept running. We are able to keep in touch with each other using cellular phones, the good old land line, and maybe even an internet connection.

    We give some thought to planning for the future. Perhaps we put a percentage of our income each month into a retirement fund that our employer provides. Maybe we manage that money ourselves, investing it in the stock market.

    Then there are the irregular things that we have to prepare for. We put money in the savings account for upcoming expenses like taxes in the Spring and uncertainties like car repairs or medical emergencies. Our persons, properties, and possessions are insured so that we have the peace of mind that when something goes wrong (because it’s always something, isn’t it?), we will be taken care of.

    Of course, before all of this we purpose in our hearts to give back a portion of what we’ve been blessed with, devoting it to the work of the church (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). These are the bare essentials, some of the things that God expects us to work for and put our money toward. Contribute to the church. Pay your taxes, settle your debts (Romans 13:7). Provide for your families (1 Timothy 5:8, 16). Oh, yes, and maintain good works, sharing with him who has need (Ephesians 4:28). (It’s an individual responsibility, you know—Galatians 6:10.) “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed” (1 Timothy 6:18-19).

    It is as hard to know when times of need will come for others as it is to predict when we ourselves may suffer loss. Who could have known a tsunami would devastate the lives of millions? What are the odds that your sister’s husband’s great-uncle with no health insurance would need surgery? Cars are totaled, houses burn, accidents happen with no regard for anyone’s monthly budget. Who could anticipate such times of need? A Christian must. Do we find ourselves ill-equipped for sharing? “That preacher is taking up a collection for a church he’s visiting in the Third World … a family we know just lost everything in a tornado … it’s too bad I just paid the bills!” “That’s too bad—we just spent our extra money on a better car, a nicer appliance.”

    Looking out for the needs of others should be as much a part of our financial planning as looking out for the needs of ourselves. When someone we have opportunity to help is in need but we don’t have any money handy, do we seriously consider selling our property and possessions in order to share (Acts 2:44-45), or do we shrug it off and tell ourselves that the next chance to do good will come along at a more convenient time? We will be judged by our readiness to do good (Matthew 25:40-43).