ENTRY 20 THE BEGGAR

Should We Share the Gifts We have Received from God to the Poor?

Luke Chapter 16: 19-31 The Parable of the Rich Man in Purple

                Why did the rich man have no name? Why was Lazarus given a name?

When God calls you by name it is an indication that you have a personal relationship with Him.

 

What happened to another man named Lazarus? (John 11:1) Because Christ raised Lazarus from the dead and told this story, do you think he selected the name for a reason?  What is the reason?

Lazarus was raised up to life by the Savior. 

Which Lazarus?  Both.

 

                Who does Abraham represent in the story?  Who does Lazarus represent in the story? Why?

 

God the Father and The Savior Jesus Christ.

                If Lazarus represents Christ, then what does this mean about the people we meet every day in our lives?

                D&C 42:38, Mathew 25:40 “Least of these thy brethren…”

                Read the whole of Matthew 25:31-46

Who are the least of these thy brethren?

 

Every soul that we meet is the Savior in disguise.  Our acts upon them are inflicted upon Him.  Though we are blind to it now, the time will come when we will see Him for who He is.  We will come to realize our actions directly afflicted Him.

What about the beggar on the street?  Is he one of the least of these?  Read  Mosiah 4:16-26

Who is the beggar on the street?  The beggar on the street is an angel in disguise.  This is scriptural is it not?

Hebrews 13:2 “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers…”

3 Nephi 28:25-28 “among the Gentiles and the Gentiles shall know them not”

If you were an angel, how would you best prove or test a person in mortality.  Would you come down in Glory with a heavenly choir, drawing attention to yourself and delivering orders with a voice of thunder?  Or would you wrap yourself up in rags and humbly wait on the corner with a cardboard sign and see what good soul might take the bait?  Which method is more humble and more expectant from what we know of the teachings of the Savior on the Sermon on the Mount?

D&C 104:131-15 How can we make sacrifices for others and not have fear that we are losing what “belongs” to us?

                                Answer: The Lord made all things, has power over all things and all good things come from him.  When we seek to follow his example and sacrifice for others, he blesses us and provides for us all things that we need.  Therefore, it is a matter of faith to give to others selflessly.

D&C 104:16-19 What is the Lord’s way of providing for all?  It is to test us to see if we will give to others or if we will be selfish and teach self-reliance.  We should be reliant upon the Lord by doing things in his way.

Mosiah 4:19-20 It is impossible to be “self-“ reliant because we are all dependent upon God and ever will be.

Let us therefore pass the test of mortality and strive to be charitable at all times and to all persons See Moroni 7:45 “charity suffereth long”

It matters very little if the beggar on the street uses some of his earnings to buy alcohol.  Let us assume he is as he appears to be...someone who made a string of poor choices in life and has lost his capacity to function in normal society, now wandering the streets, sleeping on benches and eating food out of dumpsters.  His sign says "Work for Food" but he no longer has the capacity either mentally or physically to do so.  Does giving him a few dollars in any way fuel his addiction to alcohol?  It does not because it was not the cause of the alcoholism.  The alcoholism took hold of his life long before he found himself on the streets.  Withholding a few dollars from him will not cure him by forcing him to wake up and go straight.  He is already on the streets!  There is no rock bottom for him to hit anymore, he is well beyond that.  If I were in his shoes, those ill fitting, mismatched, duct taped shoes, I would be drinking my self into a stupor every night to forget my sorrows too.  He is certainly not spending all of it on the alcohol or else he would be dead in 72 hours.   So the handout is after all, directly saving his life because after the alcohol is purchased, he is using the rest of it to find the life giving nutrition that he needs.   Enough of that funding is going to nutrition to sustain his life.  If he misuses a portion of his gifts that is between him and God alone.  Just as God has freely given to me and yet I have often failed in my capacity to wisely use what God gave me.    

Perhaps you have seen the video clip of the guy that pretends to be homeless and works the street as window washer and drives his Ferrari back to his 3000 square foot home...forget about what that says about the integrity of that man.  What does that say about the integrity of society?  What a generous and giving society!  What a testimony to the strength of character and compassion of a population who care so deeply that they have collectively supported someone so abundantly.  Wouldn't that be a society worth saving?  If you were God, would you consider saving a nation who so willing provided for the lowest members among it's population that even the homeless were driving luxury cars and living in fine homes?  I wish all beggars were so well funded.  That is a society worth saving!

After all, we are all beggars before God.