Matthew 5:42 "He asking you to give, and he wishing to borrow from you, do not turn away."

Luke 6:30 And to everyone asking you, give. And do not ask back from those taking your things.

Happy Sabbath!

Both of these texts are from a portion of a sermon Jesus gave. This particular part of the sermon has to do with retaliation, loving our enemies, and forgiveness. They come right after the texts which talk about what to do if someone slaps you, sues you, forces you to go the extra mile. Therefore it would be reasonable to assume that the asking to give and wishing to borrow, and taking away your things are done in a violent or, if not violent, then at least in an underhanded and dishonest manner. I don't believe Jesus is saying we are to be passive and allow ourselves to be beaten up, or to open our houses up to thieves and let them haul away everything we have. What Jesus is telling us is not to try to get revenge. We do report the actions to the police. We let the police handle the dishonest person and if the we are required to tell the facts of the situation in court, we show up and only give the facts. It's not our place to try to manipulate our looks, or color the facts in hopes of getting even with the dishonest person. If the Judge's decision isn't what we think is fair, we are not to keep the case in court with lawsuits. The vengeance belongs to the Lord.

Romans 12:19 Never take revenge, my friends, but instead let God's anger do it. For the scripture says, "I will take revenge, I will pay back, says the Lord." (GNB)

The same is true when someone wants to borrow from us and takes advantage of us. We are to be kind and generous, but also wise and careful. The Bible just says to give to the person who is asking you to give, and to the person wishing to borrow. It doesn't say to give the amount they are asking for. If the object or money being given is not a loan, it is then a gift and should be considered as such. A gift is something you give someone with no strings or conditions attached. What they do with it is their business and it's a matter between their conscience and God.

When a person wants to borrow something or money from us we should be gracious, kind, and generous. However we should only give what we can afford to lose. There is always a chance that the item or money will never be given back. The best way to handle it is to graciously accept the loss. Don't keep after the person to give it back, and don't take them to court over it. Don't tell others of the situation either. Not only does that make the other person look bad, it doesn't reflect well of your personality or discretions.

It hurts when we've been cheated, robbed, or taken advantage of, but we must never let that hurt grow and eat at us until it becomes an anger hungry for revenge. Spend as much time in prayer as needed to be able to return the evil with kindness and generosity. And then leave the rest to God.

"Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody." Romans 12:18 (GNB)

Have a Happy Sabbath!