August 17, 2017

ALMSGIVING AND FAITHFULNESS

Proverbs 3:3-4

Do not let almsgiving and faithfulness forsake you,
But hang them upon your neck;
And you will find grace
And provide good things before the Lord and men.

Command with a Promise

In the New Testament, Jesus ushered in a new covenant between God and mankind. The Old Testament covenant was based on the law and was given so that mankind would know how much we needed God and how far from Him we really are. When Jesus became the incarnation of God, He taught that He fulfilled the fullness of the law and summed the law up for us in two commands, which are to love God and love our neighbor. He never taught that the Old Testament law was no longer valid, but actually made it contingent upon His followers to live by even stricter expectations. So, when we read the commandments and laws of the Old Testament we should still apply them to our lives in the context of loving God and loving our neighbor. In this passage, we are reminded that almsgiving and faithfulness should always be present in our minds and hearts. Almsgiving targets our neighbor and meeting their needs above our own needs. Almsgiving means going above and beyond that which is normally expected. Faithfulness targets our God and reminds us to constantly be living our lives so that He is the center of our focus. The promise comes in where we are told that living our lives this way will bring grace and good things in our lives that God provides for us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!