Our text for today is Deuteronomy 10:17-19a
The LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the stranger…
Let me sum this up with a sentence. Be kind to all people.
One of the best illustrations to follow this is found in the following story.
“A Lady asked an old street vendor: “How much do you sell your eggs for?” The old man replied “50 cents an egg, madam.” The Lady responded, “I’ll take 6 eggs for $2.00 or I’m leaving.” The old salesman replied, “Buy them at the price you want, Madam. This is a good start for me because I haven’t sold a single egg today and I need this to live.”
She bought her eggs at a bargain price and left with the feeling that she had won. She got into her fancy car and went to a fancy restaurant with her friend. She and her friend ordered what they wanted.
They ate a little and left a lot of what they had asked for. So they paid the bill, which was $150. The ladies gave $200 and told the fancy restaurant owner to keep the change as a tip.
This story might seem quite normal to the owner of the fancy restaurant, but very unfair to the egg seller. The question it raises is this;
Why do we always need to show that we have power when we buy from the needy?
And why are we generous to those who don’t even need our generosity?
We once read somewhere that a father used to buy goods from poor people at a high price, even though he didn’t need the things. Sometimes he paid more for them. His children were amazed. One day they asked him “why are you doing this dad?”
The father replied: “It’s charity wrapped in dignity.”
We are all climbing a hill but at different stages…always be kind
I’m Lonnie Davis. I admit I did not write this old story, but it certainly is a thought worth thinking about. I know I will.