When to Give

²⁷ Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. ²⁸ Do not say to your neighbor “Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow”—when you now have it with you. PROVERBS 3

¹ My son… do not tantalise the needy. ² Do not add to the sufferings of the hungry, do not bait a man in distress. ³ Do not… keep the destitute waiting for your alms. ⁴ Do not repulse a hard-pressed beggar, nor turn your face from a poor man. ⁵ Do not avert your eyes from the destitute, give no man occasion to curse you. ⁶ …for if a man curses you in the bitterness of his soul, his Maker will hear of his imprecation… ³¹ Do not let your hands be outstretched to receive, yet closed when the time comes to give back. ECCLESIASTICUS 4

¹³ When someone prays who has been wronged, the Lord listens. SIRACH 35

Whom to Give

¹⁰ As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. GALATIANS 6

³¹ When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put 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; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited Me in. ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed Me. I was sick and you looked after Me. I was in prison and you came to visit Me… ⁴⁰ I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me. MATTHEW 25

³³ Be generous to every living soul. SIRACH 7

⁵ God gives generously and graciously to all. JAMES 1 tev

But when two or three persons ask for help at the same time, prioritize whom to help. 

Give to the coworker of God first.

²⁷ First let the children [of God] eat all they want… for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs. MARK 7

¹³ Elijah said [to the widow at Zarepath], “Don’t be afraid. Go home and [make a meal] as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. ¹⁴ For this is what the Lord, the God of Isra’el, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land.” 1 KINGS 17  

⁷ If… there is a fellow Israelite in need, then do not be selfish and refuse to help him. ⁸ Instead, be generous and lend him as much as he needs. DEUTERONOMY 15 tev

¹² This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. ¹³ Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the Gospel of the Messiah, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 2 CORINTHIANS 9

¹ If you do a good turn, know for whom you are doing it and your good deeds will not go to waste. ² Do good to a devout man, and you will receive your reward, if not from him, then certainly from the Most High. ECCLESIASTICUS 12

¹⁰ God is not unjust: He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them. HEBREWS 6

⁴⁵ Have I given you the task of managing My household, to feed My children day by day? ⁴⁶ Blessings on you if I return and find you faithfully doing your work. MATTHEW 24 tlb

Give to your family next.

⁴ Children or grandchildren… should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God… ⁸ If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 1 TIMOTHY 5