Gal 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Charity must begin first at home. The Scripture says if a man says he loves God but hates his brother is a liar (1 John 4:20). If one does not love his father, mother, spouse, brothers and sisters, it is hypocritical if he says he loves his enemies or the church of God. Love begins at home. Paul says if we desire to do good, it must be done more so to the household of faith. Who are the people in the household of faith? They are: 1. Members of your local congregation. They are the people we worship together with each Sunday. There are some who need financial help. There are some with physical disabilities and need help to move around. There are the elderly and sick folks who need assistance in their daily activities like someone to cook for them or help clean up the house for them. There are the mothers who need help to care for their children. 2. Members of other congregations in the brotherhood. We have brethren in overseas asking for financial help to build or purchase a church building. We have brethren requesting financial assistance for medical treatment. There are also brethren whose houses have been destroyed due to natural disasters. Paul says: “As we have therefore opportunity” (v.10). We see that opportunities are plentiful. There are so many things we can do to help our brethren, local and overseas. We do not lack opportunities to help. The only thing that may be preventing us from helping a brother or a sister congregation is a lack of love. If we do not love our brethren, we do not care if they live or die. We will not shed a tear if they suffer. We will say it doesn’t concern us. But, God wants us to bear one another’s burden (v.2). In the past two years, we have brethren from abroad asking for funds to help build their church buildings. We have brethren that questioned why we are  giving out so much money from the treasury to help them; they said we should put a stop to it I reminded them of our Lord’s teaching: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Thank God that we have the power to give. It shows we have been blessed by the Lord. God wants us to share this blessing that we have. Do you prefer to be poor and needing help; or do you prefer to be rich and have the ability to help others? To be rich and unloving to those who need help is damnation. Remember the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). Why at death, the rich man was in eternal flame? Because every day that he passed by poor and hungry Lazarus at his gate, he did nothing to help him. Certainly, we do not want to end up like that rich man. If we behave like him, this is what we will hear on the Judgment Day: “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not” (Matthew 25:41-43). We want to be like the churches in Macedonia (2 Corinthians 8:1-5). Though poor, but they were generous in their giving to other poor churches. Paul didn’t want to trouble them; but they begged Paul to let them share in this service for God's people. They loved and therefore, they gave. Our Lord says: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Good works glorify God. Be rich in good works!