Many of us take for granted being able to flip a switch and feel warm air flow from a heater. We don’t think twice about the warmth that comes from a fireplace or a coal-burning stove. However, not everyone has this luxury.
Winter can be an especially difficult time for some people. The cost of heating a home can at times be something that is forced to fall by the wayside when there is not enough income.
Make a difference this winter by helping someone pay his or her heating bill. Some utility companies offer a fund for customers to donate to which assists those who have trouble paying their bill. You may also wish to pay the bill of someone specific.
Up for Discussion
Who did your family choose to assist in this activity? How could the generosity of your family be an answer to someone’s prayers?
Read 1 Kings 17:7-16, the story of how the generosity of a widow toward Elijah produced benefits for her and her son. The only food she had left was a small amount of flour and oil—barely enough to feed her family. However, she graciously baked a loaf of bread for Elijah before feeding herself and her son. Discuss the outcome of this story and how the woman’s faith that God would provide enabled her to be charitable to someone she didn’t even know. Think about how the little amount of food this woman had would be detrimental to her survival, just as inadequate fuel during a long, cold winter would be detrimental to someone’s survival today.
Now read 1 Tim. 6:17. Why should those who are rich not be arrogant? Why should hope be only in the Lord, and not in things, such as wealth? How could you explain to someone who doesn’t know the Lord why hope in eternal life is much more valuable than hope in material items?
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
—1 Tim. 6:17