Daily Direction Reading PlanSample

According to Business Week magazine, Warren Buffett, Bill and Melinda Gates, and George Kaiser are the three top gift-givers in our country. Over the past five years, Warren Buffett has given 78% of his net worth to needy causes. Bill and Melinda Gates have given 48% of their net worth. I do not know about their faith commitments but I know God promises to bless those who give generously—whether the giver is rich or not. We read in Deuteronomy 15 that God directed His people to give freely. If they gave cheerfully, God promised to bless them in everything they did. God said, "I am commanding you to share your resources freely with the poor." He told them to release the debts of poor people every seventh year. God said, "Do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward poor people." Moses said, "If you refuse to help them and they cry out to the LORD, God will regard you as guilty of sin. On the other hand, he said, if you are generous, God will bless you in everything you do. You will not prosper because of your superior skill or technology; but God will honor your commitment to Him and cause you to excel." Of course, we know these people lived under a covenant to obey God's command. While we do not live under that same covenant, we learn from this God's heart for the poor. God wants us to be kind to them. God promises to prosper those who are kind to the needy.