But you will make me strong.\par I will be like a ram with strong horns.\par \{You chose me for my special work;\}\par you poured your refreshing oil over me.\par
So begin planting early in the morning, and don’t stop working until evening. Why? Because you don’t know which things will make you rich. Maybe everything you do will be successful.
There is a time to look for something,\par and a time to consider it lost.\par There is a time to keep things,\par and a time to throw things away.\par
You should feel sorry for hungry people and give them food. You should help the people that are troubled—satisfy their needs. Then your light will shine in the darkness. And you will have no sadness. You will be bright like sunshine at noon.
I want you to share your food with the hungry people. I want you to find poor people that don’t have homes, and I want you to bring them into your own homes. When you see a man that has no clothes—give him your clothes! Don’t hide \{from helping those people\}; they are just like you.”
Sell the things you have and give that money to people that need it. The riches of this world don’t continue. So get the kind of riches that continue. Get the treasure of heaven. That treasure continues forever. Thieves can’t steal your treasure in heaven, and moths can’t destroy it.
“I tell you, use the things you have here in this world to make friends \{with God\}. Then, when those things are gone, you will be welcomed in that home that continues forever.
When Jesus heard this, he said to the leader, “But there is still one more thing you need to do. Sell everything you have and give the money to the poor people. You will have a reward in heaven. Then come and follow me!”
Judas was the one that kept the money box \{for the group\}. So some of the followers thought that Jesus meant for Judas to go and buy some things they needed for the feast. Or they thought that Jesus wanted Judas to go give something to the poor people.
I always showed you that you should work like I did and help people that are weak. I taught you to remember the words of the Lord Jesus. Jesus said, ‘You will be happier when you give than when you receive.’”
You know the grace (kindness) of our Lord Jesus Christ. You know that Christ was rich \{with God\}, but for you he became poor. Christ did this so that you could become rich by his becoming poor.
There will always be poor people in the land. That is why I command you to be ready to help your brother. Give to the poor people in your land that need help.
You must give that person some of your animals, grain, and wine. The Lord your God blessed you and gave you plenty of good things. In the same way, you must give plenty of good things to your slave.
You must give his security back to him every evening. Then he will have clothes to sleep in. He will bless you, and the Lord your God will accept this as living right and doing good.
God is fair. God will remember all the work you have done. And God will remember that you showed your love to him by helping his people. And God will remember that you continue to help his people.
Let the person that is doing wrong continue to do wrong. Let the person that is unclean continue to be unclean. Let the person that is doing right continue to do right. Let the person that is holy continue to be holy {\cf2\super [172]} .”
“The Lord God of Israel promised that your father’s family would serve him forever. But now the Lord says this, ‘That will never be! I will honor people who honor me. But bad things will happen to people who refuse to respect me.