Beggars on the street

[Stolen_Rutters]

I don’t carry money around (personal financial issues making my wallet real skinny) , so I feel like I have to go to an ATM whenever I am asked for help. I volunteer my time, though (trying to keep our community Senior Center running, helping with food drives, and such).

 

[Sarabande]

I don’t carry money around (personal financial issues making my wallet real skinny) , so I feel like I have to go to an ATM whenever I am asked for help. I .

Just make sure you have other people around you when you go to an ATM. One kid at my university was killed (hit hard over the head) when taking money out of an outdoor ATM.

 

[thechrismyster]

if they are outside a convenience store or gas station, i’ll grab them a powerbar and a coffee… if they look truely homeless.
never cash, always goods.

feed them, give them drink… it’s easy to get jaded… but as Christians, we gotta do the right thing.

 

[tom.wineman]

Speaking of scripture:

NASB: For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. (NASB ©1995)

I try to direct them to a place where they can get meaningful help.

 

[Saul_to_Paul]

My feelings about this are simple. Judging is something we all fall prey to in everyday living. When I see homeless people or alleged homeless people, I always want to give them something. Truthfully, I rarely give them anything unless I find myself in personal contact with them. I don’t think it matters much whether they can work, have jobs, and or live in nice places. The calling to help others should be executed with a blind eye. It is your gesture of kindness that will be measured to the Lord.

When im thinking of helping someone financially, my only concern is how they will use the money I have given them. I have seen what the outcome of drugs and alcohol have been on society. In a sense this is wrong. I should just give with a blind eye because it is the gesture that the Lord works through. The outcome is not something I am involved with.

Nice topic thank you

 

[deb1]

My feelings about this are simple. Judging is something we all fall prey to in everyday living. When I see homeless people or alleged homeless people, I always want to give them something. Truthfully, I rarely give them anything unless I find myself in personal contact with them. I don’t think it matters much whether they can work, have jobs, and or live in nice places. The calling to help others should be executed with a blind eye. It is your gesture of kindness that will be measured to the Lord.

When im thinking of helping someone financially, my only concern is how they will use the money I have given them. I have seen what the outcome of drugs and alcohol have been on society. In a sense this is wrong. I should just give with a blind eye because it is the gesture that the Lord works through. The outcome is not something I am involved with.

Nice topic thank you

Understand that I am not arguing against helping beggars or the homeless. If you help someone whom you strongly suspect is going to use that money for taking drugs or alcohol aren’t you culpable ethically for any person that is harmed by your good deed?

 

[Sarabande]

Understand that I am not arguing against helping beggars or the homeless. If you help someone whom you strongly suspect is going to use that money for taking drugs or alcohol aren’t you culpable ethically for any person that is harmed by your good deed?

In a way, I would say, yes. We are enablers if we allow our spouse or child or other loved ones to continue a drug habit or drinking habit without trying to help them stop. If we don’t and just keeping feeding their habit, then their lives and the lives around them are slowly destroyed. This could be also the case of “helping” those beggars you believe or know has a drug or alcohol habit. When you see the same ones enough times, you know which ones are which.

 

[Steelhart]

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne,
32 and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,
36 naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’
37 Then the righteous 16 will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
38 When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
39 When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
40 And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
41 Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
43 a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
44 Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’
45 He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’
46 And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Remember even if it is a scammer pretending to be a poor beggar as sad as it is Jesus does say “whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me”… Do we really want to take a gamble and chance that? Satan hopes we will.

Mat 25:31-46 NAB
nccbuscc.org/nab/bible/matthew/matthew25.htm

 

[marci]

I used to take the attitude that I would not give to anyone begging on the street because they will probably use it to buy drugs or alcohol, but I always stuggled with the “whatsoever you do”. Now I just give anyway and leave whatever happens to God.

What changed things for me was when my children became old enough to ask me why I wasn’t helping the poor. The concept of enabling bad behavior didn’t go over very well on them and I realized that I must make myself as a little child. That doesn’t make me naive, but I figure God will take care of dealing out justice, and hopefully I will be judged to have been charitable, even when it went against common sense.

 

[udoc89]

Father Groeschel says that instead of giving money to beggars, he gives coupons for a free McDonald’s hamburger.

Peace,

All the priests and ministers in my town have gotten together and decided to give food and/or hotel vouchers for people who beg at the churches. They do this because it became evident when they were simply giving out money, many of the beggars were simply buying booze or drugs. These pastors give to everyone who asks of them, they just don’t give money anymore. This certainly doesn’t hurt those who truly do want a meal or a place for their family to stay, and it’s certainly healthier for those who would rather have a drink than a hot meal.

 

[mexilad]

I give to charities that feed the hungary, cloth the naked and help the needy in general. I also volunteer. I do not givve money to people on the street because of the fraud factor and because I do not want to enable addictions.

I believe Christ wanted us to help people, but I do not think he meant for us to give money to people we reasonably should know are not so much needy as they are shady.

I have offered to buy people food instead of giving money. Most of the time I have been turned down. I have offered to give food to people, and have been turned down. These are people with the infamous “Will work for Food” or “Hungry” signs.

I believe we can stiull hjelp, but we need to be as harmless as doves, but as wisw as serpants when it comes to giving. I remeberreadingthat somwhere.

 

[Teelynn]

I give alot of our income to help the needy. (food pantry etc… not that we have a money tree in the back yard:nope: ------we certainly do not!) This is a hard one for me and one that I struggle with, as we have certain people in this area (like other posters have voiced) that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are “professionals”. I once saw a man who we see all the time (he and a few of his friends) that hold signs saying “hungry, will work for money” that put down his sign, walked across the street and jumped in a brand new SUV and drove off. I have given this man money in the past, but once I saw that of course, no more. There is no way WE can afford a brand new SUV. We are driving very old cars that we are needing to repair ever more frequently. The thought ran through my head when I saw that: “He should be giving ME money!” With others that we know, that are obviously needing more than this man, we give to but now instead of giving money we keep McDonalds gift certificates on hand and give those out. We have also given fairly new winter coats, hats, gloves, scarves etc.

I hope I am not dead wrong on this, but I really don’t feel that Jesus wants us to give to scam artists. (at least the ones that we KNOW are scammers) I HAVE given money out to people on the street, however, that you just KNOW needs your help. I once had someone that we know pretty well come to our door, and I actually had no money in the house, so I offered to make him a “lunch.” He really did not want to take it, but I insisted. Made him 2 ham & cheese sandwiches, an apple, bag of chips, bunch of oatmeal cookies and a can of pop. He told me he didn’t like ham, but he reluctantly took it.

Like some posters here, I believe there are some people that are in need of more than just “food” or “money”. They are in need of direction, and human contact, and the LOVE OF CHRIST within us!