March 24: Alms for the Poor

If our God, whom we serve,
can save us from the white-hot furnace
and from your hands, O king, may he save us!
But even if he will not, know, O king,
that we will not serve your god
or worship the golden statue that you set up.”


DONATE MONEY TO SOMEONE IN NEED TODAY.
In the movie "Into the Wild," there is a powerful scene where the character burns his money. No, I am not at all encouraging you to do this (In fact, it's a federal offense). The strange act shows that the main character refuses to value materialism anymore. Today I want you to donate money to a charitable cause. Give it to an organization that helps the poor, like the church or another poverty-relief organization or cause. God doesn't want your money because He's run out of cash. He wants your money because you need to know that it does not belong to you. He wants you to give your money to show that you don't cling to it as a god in your life. Just like the Israelites were asked to kill a lamb and sprinkle its blood on their doorpost as a sign that the wouldn't worship animals like the rest of the Egyptians, we are called to sacrifice our money to be free from our attachment to materialism. Don't just give a few pennies, sacrifice money that you would've spent on a movie, a video game, or a meal.