Balut: A Lesson on Generosity

Matthew 25:37-40, 45-46 offers a striking reminder that what we do—or fail to do—for those in need, we do for Christ Himself. Jesus identifies so deeply with the brokenhearted and poor in spirit that He stands in their place, saying, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” This teaching calls us to see every act of generosity as an act of worship, an opportunity to serve Christ in those around us.

This connection isn’t symbolic—it’s deeply personal to Jesus. Psalm 34:18 declares, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” When we help someone in need, we are partnering with God, who is already near to them, watching to see who will step forward with compassion.

The Challenges to Generosity

Living generously is not without its challenges. The spirit of generosity often meets opposition, particularly from these sources:

• The Devil, who sows thoughts of self-preservation, whispering, “It’s every man for himself.”
• The World, which encourages judgment, saying, “They’re in this situation because they’re lazy.”
• The Flesh, which tempts us with excuses like, “It’s inconvenient,” or, “I need this for myself.”

These voices can make it difficult to hear the Holy Spirit’s gentle prompting. But when we choose to obey His call, even when it’s inconvenient or hard to understand, we are often rewarded with blessings far greater than we expect.

A Personal Encounter

A few years ago, as I was about to drive 70 kilometers to make a delivery to a client, I passed by this young balut vendor who accidentally dropped his eggs on the side of the road. My conscience tells me to help. But the thing is, I was running late and I had just gotten off the phone with the supplier asking them to keep their warehouse open 30 minutes beyond their normal closing time to accommodate my delivery. I was debating with my conscience.

“Is it so bad if don’t stop and help?”
“I’m running late.”
“Someone else will help him.”
“He’ll earn back his losses. He’ll be fine.”
“What if I just pray for him?”
“It’s not my fault, why should I help?”
“If I don’t make the delivery, I will lose so much more than that boy.”

I had all these loud and clear reasons not to help, and they all seemed correct. But after a couple minutes, I decided to turn around and drive back to the kid. I followed the urging of the small, barely audible voice even though I, admittedly and shamefully, didn’t want to do it.

When I got to the kid, I parked the car on the side of the road, honked at him and waved at him to come over.

As he was walking to the car, I pulled out my wallet, with the intention of giving him a couple hundred pesos. But all that was available was a couple one-thousand-peso bills. At that time, I rolled up the window and tried to look for coins. But I decided once again to listen to the small voice who urged me to give him one of the thousand-peso bills. I looked at my fuel and I decided I don’t need the money, I can pay by card anyway, but I’m going to need the remaining one thousand. Then, finally, I decided to look at a short distance at how many of his eggs still look sellable. Only a few seem to be broken. Then a flood of thoughts came in…

“I don’t have the time to count”
“Why are you counting?”
“Just give the money”

And finally, the last thought I had before giving the money was, “This is probably worth more than what he lost. He doesn’t deserve this”

I rolled down the window and gave him the money and told him to take care of it. He said his thanks and I said welcome, and I quickly got back on the road – and as soon as I did, that’s when I realized it was the Holy Spirit speaking to me. He said,

“You’re right, he doesn’t deserve those one thousand pesos. But you know that order that you got, the one you’re delivering that is worth so much more? You don’t deserve it either. I have provided more than enough for your family to be a blessing to others such as that boy.”

I was instantly moved to tears, overwhelmed by God’s goodness. All I could say was, “Thank you, Lord!” over and over again.

Lessons from Generosity

That experience taught me several profound truths about generosity:

1. The flesh and the Spirit almost always disagree. The flesh will always resist generosity, offering excuses rooted in self-interest.
2. The flesh is inherently selfish. It prioritizes convenience and self-preservation, often at the expense of compassion.
3. Obedience does not require understanding. Understanding sometimes comes after obedience, revealing the deeper purpose behind God’s prompting.
4. Disobedience costs us blessings. If I hadn’t obeyed, I would have missed the revelation God had for me— a personal message is a reward far greater than the act itself.
5. Our capacity to give is a gift from God. We can only be generous because He has given to us first.

Generosity as an Act of Faith

When we choose to act generously, we affirm our trust in God’s provision. Each time we give, we declare that God has given us enough to share. Instead of seeing generosity as a loss, we begin to see it as an opportunity to align with God’s heart, participating in His work of blessing others.

Moreover, generosity reframes our perspective. It reminds us that we are blessed to be in a position to give, rather than being the one in need. This shift from scarcity to abundance opens our hearts to gratitude and deepens our connection with God.

Reflection

Generosity isn’t just about giving material resources—it’s about seeing Christ in those we help. It’s about silencing the excuses of the flesh, resisting the lies of the enemy, and trusting that God’s prompting will lead to greater blessings.

When you encounter someone in need, do you respond with love and compassion, or do you allow convenience, judgment, or doubt to hold you back?

When you give, do you trust that God will provide for your needs, just as He calls you to provide for others?

And finally, consider this: If you were a father or mother with two children, whom would you be more likely to bless? The one who loves and trusts you, even when he doesn’t understand—or the one who thinks he knows better and tell you he doesn’t need you?