"When someone strips a man of his clothes we call him a thief. And one who might clothe the naked and does not - should not he be given the same name? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry the coat in your wardrobe belongs to the naked; the shoes you let rot belong to the barefoot, the money in your vaults belongs to the destitute."Saint Basil the Great
8 comments:
oh, i love this quote. i am going to write it down and put it where i can always be reminded of it!
But for the grace of God, there go I. The greatest need of mankind is a saviour and my prayer would be that while we are taking care of the physical needs in the world we are also more attuned to the spiritual. May God receive all the glory in how we live.
Great quote 'Shell! Bread looks yummy too :-)
Thanks for the quote Michelle. Very thought provoking.
I left a pretty long response to your comment on my blog, but just thought I'd pop in and mention that they allow people to come as teams :0) hint, hint!
How great it is to know that when we are plugged into a local church and actively serving those around us in our community, God's grace is abundantly poured out to "accomplish the good works set out for us to do..." Thanks for this important reminder, Michelle. I'm curious...how have you been able to apply this practically in your life lately? It has provoked me to think about the same for my own life.
Well Lizzy, I think of the things this particular quote addresses is abundance. Clothes, food, shoes, money... I've become increasingly convicted about the consumerism I take part in. Why in the world is it in any way necessary, or how is it responsible as a steward of God's money, for me to have a closet full of clothes... So I've altered my budget and am in the processes of challenging my thinking in these areas.
For me it's fun to make direct connections with the money I save. For instance, the money I've saved from buying less food I give directly to local food needs. Or the money I save in buying less clothes I give directly to local clothing needs. I'm in the process of altering my water usage to help with clean water projects overseas (look for an entire post dedicated to that cause).
The real challenge is in the change of perspective. It can be easy to think that because I earned the money that I can choose how to spend it. What a skewed (and false) way of thinking. I no more chose to be born into a privileged country, home, lifestyle than someone else chose to be born into poverty. I was offered health, education, and choices others have not been. But as a child of God, I've been given clear instruction to care for and love these neighbors as myself. Hm.... Perhaps I should keep the old hand me down clothes and buy them the new in-style ones... (off to ponder more)
I am definetly not an expert in the area of finances...I have loads to learn and much growth to do. I admire the direct applications you have been able to do in your area of finances Michelle. I think when we are purposeful with the money God has given us he is faithful to bless our giving. After all, it never really was ours to begin with. To God be the glory for all you have given and the example you are to others.
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