Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others,
as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10
The Stewardship of “relationships with others” is very important.
God instructs you to love your neighbor as yourself.
Who are our neighbors? Jesus answered this question in his parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. We are to be “Good Samaritans” to anyone who needs help, not just the people who live next door to us or our closest friends.
Although, we need to be careful that our well-intentioned efforts don’t do more harm than good. For example, if someone struggles with a gambling addiction, you don’t give them money. There are many ways to help people in need.
Our local Ministerial Alliance helps people in need. But they don’t hand them cash. They have requirements and restrictions in receiving assistance. Classes are required such as budgeting, meal planning, recovery, etc. Monetary repayment or community service hours are required. They are never given cash.
You’ve heard the phrase:
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for his life time.
The missionaries that our church supports, go all over the world in order to help people. They help by working with them to create resources and then teach them to manage those resources.
As Christians we fulfill the Great Commandment (Love God, Love your neighbor) when we show mercy to those who are in need.
