Welcome to another edition of the LKP Treasure Trove
Lending something to someone isn’t always easy, especially if that person is known to not give things back. But we are told to be generous; to lend and not expect anything in return. But it is very hard for some people to let go of their things to the point of not caring whether they’ll get it back. If we are willing to let go of our possessions to that point, we’ll have a heart that is more ready for the Kingdom than the fleshly, selfish hearts most of us possess. A Hebrew girl named Yarona will learn this valuable lesson in today’s story.
Do Good, and Lend
“But why not?” asked Monique from behind the fence.
“Because you don’t always return things,” Yarona said as she walked off in a huff across the lawn to get away from her neighbor. When Yarona stepped through the patio doors her mom was there to greet her.
Mom held a hand pruner and a lopper in her gloved hands. “I was just heading out to the garden to tend to my azaleas. Was that Monique I heard you talking with?”
“Yeah,” Yarona replied, her angry eyes peering through the patio doors in search of Monique, who had disappeared.
“What’s the problem?” Mom asked.
“She wants to borrow my mp3 player for a long car trip.”
“Well, why don’t you lend it to her?” Mom asked.
Yarona folded her arms and said, “Because I’ve loaned her things in the past and she only returned a few of them. I waited so long to get my favorite CD back I had to buy another one.”
Mom set her pruning tools down on the entry table next to the patio doors and held Yarona’s shoulders. “Listen, I know what you’re feeling, but this isn’t the way we’re supposed to be. We’re awake, believing Hebrews. That means we have to continue to be an example to everyone around us.”
Yarona looked irritated now. “Does that mean I have to keep lending people my stuff and letting them use me?”
Mom offered a sympathetic frown. “It means you can’t let your possessions become idols. They’re just things, Yarona. Things that are easily replaceable. You said yourself that you bought the CD again, right?”
Yarona nodded her head reluctantly. “Right.”
“Well,” Mom continued, “you’re not replaceable. You’re more valuable than any of your things, especially when you display the kind of heart Yah has. Is Yah stingy with his sunshine? Does it only shine on us?”
Yarona sighed softly. “No. It shines on everyone, both good people and evil people.”
“Those are Yeshua’s own words,” Mom said. “And in Luke 6:35 he also said ‘do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be a child of the Most High, for he himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.’ That’s the heart we’re supposed to have.”
Yarona turned suddenly and walked toward the stairs.
“Where are you going?” Mom asked.
“To get my mp3 player,” Yarona replied cheerfully. “Monique needs it.”
NOW, WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Are you willing to separate yourself from your favorite things so someone else who is in need can enjoy them if they ask? Being wrapped up in our possessions is dangerous because it creates a selfish heart that separates us from Yah. Some might think that lending to others in need will lead to our downfall, but in Psalm 37:25-26 King David writes: “I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread. All day long he is gracious and lends, and his descendants are a blessing.”
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