The King will reply, 'I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these followers of mine, you did it for me!'

"Whoever welcomes you welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.

You can be sure that whoever gives even a drink of cold water to one of the least of these my followers because he is my follower, will certainly receive a reward."

You will always have poor people with you, but you will not always have me.

"If in any of the towns in the land that the LORD your God is giving you there are Israelites in need, then do not be selfish and refuse to help them.

Do not refuse to lend them something, just because the year when debts are canceled is near. Do not let such an evil thought enter your mind. If you refuse to make the loan, they will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be held guilty.

There will always be some Israelites who are poor and in need, and so I command you to be generous to them.

People who were in deepest misery praised me, and I helped widows find security.

I was eyes for the blind, and feet for the lame.

I have never refused to help the poor; never have I let widows live in despair

All my life I have taken care of them.

I would give him clothing made of wool that had come from my own flock of sheep. Then he would praise me with all his heart.

Happy is the person who is generous with his loans, who runs his business honestly.

He is not afraid of receiving bad news; his faith is strong, and he trusts in the LORD.

He gives generously to the needy, and his kindness never fails; he will be powerful and respected.

Honor the LORD by making him an offering from the best of all that your land produces.

If you do, your barns will be filled with grain, and you will have too much wine to store it all.

Some people spend their money freely and still grow richer. Others are cautious, and yet grow poorer.

Be generous, and you will be prosperous. Help others, and you will be helped.

If you want to be happy, be kind to the poor; it is a sin to despise anyone.

If you oppress poor people, you insult the God who made them; but kindness shown to the poor is an act of worship.

When you give to the poor, it is like lending to the LORD, and the LORD will pay you back.

Be generous and share your food with the poor. You will be blessed for it.

Invest your money in foreign trade, and one of these days you will make a profit.

Put your investments in several places---many places even---because you never know what kind of bad luck you are going to have in this world.

Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives.

When you pray, I will answer you. When you call to me, I will respond. "If you put an end to oppression, to every gesture of contempt, and to every evil word;

And I will always guide you and satisfy you with good things. I will keep you strong and well. You will be like a garden that has plenty of water, like a spring of water that never goes dry.

He doesn't cheat or rob anyone. He returns what a borrower gives him as security; he feeds the hungry and gives clothing to the naked.

or oppress anyone or rob anyone. He returns what a borrower gives him as security. He feeds the hungry and gives clothing to the naked.

So then, Your Majesty, follow my advice. Stop sinning, do what is right, and be merciful to the poor. Then you will continue to be prosperous."

No, the LORD has told us what is good. What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God.

You will always have poor people with you, and any time you want to, you can help them. But you will not always have me.

But give what is in your cups and plates to the poor, and everything will be ritually clean for you.

Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbors---for they will invite you back, and in this way you will be paid for what you did.

and you will be blessed, because they are not able to pay you back. God will repay you on the day the good people rise from death."

Since Judas was in charge of the money bag, some of the disciples thought that Jesus had told him to go and buy what they needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor.

The group of believers was one in mind and heart. None of them said that any of their belongings were their own, but they all shared with one another everything they had.

In Joppa there was a woman named Tabitha, who was a believer. (Her name in Greek is Dorcas, meaning "a deer.") She spent all her time doing good and helping the poor.

Joppa was not very far from Lydda, and when the believers in Joppa heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him with the message, "Please hurry and come to us."

and said: 'Cornelius! God has heard your prayer and has taken notice of your works of charity.

The disciples decided that they each would send as much as they could to help their fellow believers who lived in Judea.

Our friends, we want you to know what God's grace has accomplished in the churches in Macedonia.

I can assure you that they gave as much as they could, and even more than they could. Of their own free will

You are so rich in all you have: in faith, speech, and knowledge, in your eagerness to help and in your love for us. And so we want you to be generous also in this service of love.

You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; rich as he was, he made himself poor for your sake, in order to make you rich by means of his poverty.

You should each give, then, as you have decided, not with regret or out of a sense of duty; for God loves the one who gives gladly.

As the scripture says, "He gives generously to the needy; his kindness lasts forever."

He will always make you rich enough to be generous at all times, so that many will thank God for your gifts which they receive from us.

And because of the proof which this service of yours brings, many will give glory to God for your loyalty to the gospel of Christ, which you profess, and for your generosity in sharing with them and everyone else.

If you used to rob, you must stop robbing and start working, in order to earn an honest living for yourself and to be able to help the poor.

Command those who are rich in the things of this life not to be proud, but to place their hope, not in such an uncertain thing as riches, but in God, who generously gives us everything for our enjoyment.

In this way they will store up for themselves a treasure which will be a solid foundation for the future. And then they will be able to win the life which is true life.

Your love, dear brother, has brought me great joy and much encouragement! You have cheered the hearts of all of God's people.

God is not unfair. He will not forget the work you did or the love you showed for him in the help you gave and are still giving to other Christians.

Do not forget to do good and to help one another, because these are the sacrifices that please God.

What God the Father considers to be pure and genuine religion is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their suffering and to keep oneself from being corrupted by the world.

Open your homes to each other without complaining.

Each one, as a good manager of God's different gifts, must use for the good of others the special gift he has received from God.

This is how we know what love is: Christ gave his life for us. We too, then, ought to give our lives for others!

My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.

I was hungry but you would not feed me, thirsty but you would not give me a drink;

If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them a drink.

Instead, as the scripture says: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them a drink; for by doing this you will make them burn with shame."

I was a stranger but you would not welcome me in your homes, naked but you would not clothe me; I was sick and in prison but you would not take care of me.'

he looked up and saw three men standing there. As soon as he saw them, he ran out to meet them. Bowing down with his face touching the ground,

Let me bring some water for you to wash your feet; you can rest here beneath this tree.

Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, "Quick, take a sack of your best flour, and bake some bread."

He took some cream, some milk, and the meat, and set the food before the men. There under the tree he served them himself, and they ate.

When the two angels came to Sodom that evening, Lot was sitting at the city gate. As soon as he saw them, he got up and went to meet them. He bowed down before them

He kept on urging them, and finally they went with him to his house. Lot ordered his servants to bake some bread and prepare a fine meal for the guests. When it was ready, they ate it.

After she and the people of her house had been baptized, she invited us, "Come and stay in my house if you have decided that I am a true believer in the Lord." And she persuaded us to go.

Share your belongings with your needy fellow Christians, and open your homes to strangers.

My host Gaius, in whose house the church meets, sends you his greetings; Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings.

and have a reputation for good deeds: a woman who brought up her children well, received strangers in her home, performed humble duties for other Christians, helped people in trouble, and devoted herself to doing good.

Keep on loving one another as Christians.

Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them. Remember those who are suffering, as though you were suffering as they are.

Open your homes to each other without complaining.

My dear friend, you are so faithful in the work you do for other Christians, even when they are strangers.

For they set out on their trip in the service of Christ without accepting any help from unbelievers.