What's the Christian thing to do about this situation?

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Valerie

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My mother and step-father (on different occasions) have given a homeless man near our house money, and both times he went straight to a gambling place. He's an old man, skinny, and told my step-dad he's sick as well as being a believer in Jesus....but I'm not sure what to think about giving him money if he's going to a gambling place with it. My step-dad said it's the right thing to do to help those in need and it's also a way to get them to talk with you about the Lord, but I'm not sure. Personally, I think bringing food or clothing to him and not giving him money is a better idea in light of what he's done with peoples' money. What is the biblical thing to do? Should I say something to him about being deceitful with my parents' money (in a nice way, of course)? And is giving money to a needy person still the right thing to do if you know they're not going to spend it on something useful (i.e. cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, gambling) as a means to talk to them about the gospel?
 
I had a similar situation happen to me when I was a young Christian. I gave this homeless man and woman money, and saw them an hour later enjoying a bottle of booze. The next time I saw them I took them to an all you eat Chinese restaurant and paid for their food. Then I took them to the YMCA and paid for their rooms.
 
Anyways; what I do is take the person either, to a restaurant to have a meal or to the clothing / grocery store. To just, contribute to the poor man's problem of blowing the $ on gambling is in all reality, contributing to his problem - not the solution. Since you have stated, that this poor man is a "believer in Jesus" already, why would you want to even, talk to him about Jesus for? You know; sometimes, loving people (your neighbour, in this case) means applying some "tough love" to the situation at hand. What is so "Christian" about being a sucker for someone who is exploiting you?
Christians are to be Meek [teachable] - not Weak !
 
He probably has nothing going on in his life and if you do something nice for someone and more then 2 people know about then you did it for the wrong reasons....give him more money you tightwad
 
i think the food and clothing thing is a better idea. Giving them money is a bad idea because if they haven't found treatment for their problems, they are just going to keep doing them. Gambling is a growing addiction. Talk to him about our lord, and remind him that God doesn't have a plan B. And he will be okay in the path with the lord. Give him hope...i hope this helped! (:
 
I would give him food and water, but I would also tell him that he should save that money and be frugal with it, not gamble with it.
 
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