Giving

distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.  – Romans 12.13

Paul continues on here with some specific instructions on godly living as the sacrificed life. The tone is going to change just a little in the next verse as we are going to look at out behaviour in a world that is not necessarily going to like how we live.

But for now we see an oft repeated theme from the Old Testament, but really put forth in the New.

The two thoughts in this verse go hand in hand. Distribute to the needs of the saints. Given to hospitality.

There is never an excuse for Christians to ever have unmet needs. Of course, we are to seek to help all men, but we are also told that we have a special responsibility to the 'household of faith.'

We have to remember that we are all family. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. As family we need to make sure to be aware that other parts of the family are not suffering. Paul spent a lot of time writing to the Corinthians about the need for giving, but not giving in general, but giving to meet other believer's needs.

When I read reports of my brothers and sisters around the world struggling for the necessities of life I wonder where we went wrong. Today some of the church will meet in multi-million dollar megastructures and sip their lattes and cappuccinos while other meet in dirt huts with no running water and pray about where their daily bread will come from. Budget committees will debate our how to spend the $100,000 organ budget while others will scrap together food from starving families to feed another family that is even worse off.

What is wrong here? How are we missing this clear command to ‘distribute to the needs of the saints?’

I was going to address the ‘pursuing hospitality’ as well but my heart is stirred and moved and challenged and convicted by the first part of the verse alone.

Are my resources going to meet the needs of the saints? Or are they going to further my list of extra possessions?