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I don't often do this.....don't often ask my readers to participate in a charity drive of any kind. I generally believe that people are best left to pick their own charity that is closest to their heart. The one God has laid on them personally.

My main charity emphasis has always been Compassion International which is a group that matches caring people with an individual child that you can help and correspond with.

But today I got a facebook invite to be a part of a very simple food drive this Saturday, May 8th.

http://www.helpstampouthunger.com

Why should you participate?

simple.

Jesus told us to Feed the Poor.

He didn't say "make them fill out an application to see if they are worthy"

He never said "wait to see if they have stopped drinking booze before you feed them"

Christ didn't say "make sure to witness to them as you hand them the food" (on that note, simply FEEDING them IS our witness to them as a demonstration of Grace - unmerited favor)

He never mentioned the concept of "the deserving poor or the UN-deserving poor"

He just said Feed the Hungry.

And actually it wasn't just Christ that said it. This command has been showing up in the Bible since Old Testament times. There are over 300 mentions of how we are to take care of the poor and needy in the Bible.

I'll leave you with two. You can look up the others if you are interested.

John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same."
Luke 3:11

9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

¹⁰ and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

¹¹ The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

Isaiah 58:9-11

I don't know about you, but to me, that sounds like a wonderful promise. Something I'd be willing to do almost anything to get.

In most of Christianity we have to accept a free gift - grace. Something we can NEVER do ANYTHING to earn. It is hard for us to wrap our brains around grace. But this is something we are told to do and that it will have have direct results.

I want the LORD to guide me.

Always.

Do you have extra non-perishable food in your pantry? set it out for your postal worker to pick up this Saturday.

It is that simple.