And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow

of thee turn not thou away. Matthew 5:41-42

 

     This is another of those recommendations that we go beyond what is expected. Going beyond what is expected doesn’t take courage. It takes Christ in you.

       Would is not a big mysterious word here. It means want. So let’s say you’re at the mall and you see a friend you know is in need. It’s all over the social network that he’s been hitting everyone up for money. People have been pretending not to be home, ignoring his calls, and avoiding his usual hangouts and theirs so they don’t bump into him. Jesus says don’t do that.

      Jesus doesn’t give any exceptions. I wonder if Jesus would have really wanted me to loan money to my drug addicted brother. If you know the person has no intention of paying you back, is it really borrowing?

      Perhaps I’m over thinking what God would have had me do. I did what I had to do to have sanity at the time. I stopped answering the phone and changed the number. But read again what Jesus says: He says not to turn away. He does not say to give money without thought but to hear the person out. If I had it to do over again maybe I would have heard my brother out. Then I would listen to my heart. I don’t believe God would have wanted me to aid in his destruction, especially since finances were tight for me.

     Would you be willing to listen to the man who wants to borrow from you? Take Jesus with you so you can both listen and then I be advised.