You’ve got to pay your taxes. You should give tithes or offerings to the church. But giving money to your neighbor is completely optional, right? Deuteronomy would claim otherwise.

In ancient Israel, God commanded the Israelites to cancel all debts their countrymen owed them on every seventh year. Naturally, this meant that come year six, people weren’t thrilled to lend to their brothers: odds were, they’d never be repaid.

Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. (Deut 15:9)

The Law of LORD may have been fulfilled in Christ, freeing us from its demands, but God has not changed at all. He is still a merciful and compassionate God, and generosity is one way in which we can better reflect his character. Proverbs 19:17 tells us that “He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.” If you seek to live within God’s best plans for your life, let generosity define the way you treat others. In this, you can never go wrong.