I am still in awe of the story of Samuel and how his mother, Hannah, had promised the Lord that if He would give her a child, she would “lend him to the Lord.” And she did. Imagine what would happen in this day and time if a woman took her two-year-old child and left him on the steps of a church! She would be put in jail! But Hannah knew in her heart that she would “lend him” to the Lord. “Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as liveth he shall be lent to the Lord.” 1 Samuel 1:28

When we “give” to the Lord, we are not really giving… We are “lending,” because the Lord always pays us back… So, look at what the Lord did for Hannah… “And Eli (the priest) blessed Elkanah and his wife (Hannah), and said, “The Lord give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the Lord… And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord.” 1 Samuel 2:20-21

When we “give to the Lord,” we are not really giving, because the Lord always pays us back, with dividends! If the Lord never “paid us back,” with many blessings, it would have been a “gift…” But giving to the Lord is lending! “He that hath pity on the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will He pay him again.” Proverbs 19:17

Never, never be afraid to give to the poor… Have a great day, and keep your heart open for the Lord to speak to you to give to the poor… It may even be someone you don’t know. Sherry