Giving Money to Somebody Who Is Addicted to Cigarettes?

[thomas t]

Dear Community,

one refugee friend of mine wanted money from the church and/or people from the church and he told me that some other churches give money to the refugees they have.

However, he is addicted to cigarettes and for refugees, the cost of living is assumed by Germany's social system (by the way, taxes are high in Germany). While their asylum proceedings are still ongoing, they pratically can't seek employment.

I believe the state to have calculated the living expenses without any grave and systematic error and I don't expect the state to give them too little money to survive.

My friend says that currently, life for him consists of going to the gym and smoking cigarettes.

Regards,

Thomas

 

[Amazing Horse]

Not a penny

[missmuffet]

Alcohol, nicotine and caffeine are all drugs. Would you give a person some money for a cup of coffee?

[Guest Wanda01]

.Matthew 5:42 (KJV) "Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee, turn not thou away."

If we have it to give to the poor and do not, how is God's love in us? If someone comes to me in need, I see it as an opportunity to be a blessing to someone else. It's not mine anyways....all I have belongs to God. I am just a steward of it.

What they do with it is between them and God.

[Amazing Horse]

33 minutes ago, Wanda01 said:

.Matthew 5:42 (KJV) "Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee, turn not thou away."

If we have it to give to the poor and do not, how is God's love in us? If someone comes to me in need, I see it as an opportunity to be a blessing to someone else. It's not mine anyways....all I have belongs to God. I am just a steward of it.

What they do with it is between them and God.

I would gladly help anybody in need and i never rejected anybody personally , even before i was saved , but person who can't give up smoke even after he lost all that he had is not poor but stubborn and don't want to change , maybe God let him to lose that what he had to cleanse him from his addiction you never know , and you insteed of helping him you hurt him because in few years he might get lung cancer .

 

Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

 

Bible does not teach only for giving for free , but also for giving job to somebody insteed of feeding him.

 

For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

 

That person not only that he had money from Goverment as op said , but he just need it for his wicked stuff like ciggaretes or alchohol , insteed of being greatfull he is full of pride .

Poor people in other countries eat literally dust cakes , don't be sad because some dude can't smoke tonight .

Edited September 12, 2017 by Amazing Horse

[Guest Wanda01]

3 minutes ago, Amazing Horse said:

I would gladly help anybody in need and i never rejected anybody personally , even before i was saved , but person who can't give up smoke even after he lost all that he had is not poor but stubborn and don't want to change , maybe God let him to lose that what he had to cleanse him from his addiction you never know , and you insteed of helping him you hurt him because in few years he might get lung cancer .

 

Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

 

Bible does not teach only for giving for free , but also for giving job to somebody insteed of feeding him.

 

For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

 

That person not only that he had money from Goverment as he said , but he just need it for his wicked stuff like ciggaretes or alchohol , insteed of being greatfull he is full of pride .

Poor people in other countries eat literally dust cakes , don't be sad because some dude can't smoke tonight .

I never said you have ever rejected anyone, nor would I assume to know anything about you, so I don't know what your first paragraph has to do with anything I said. An opinion was asked for; I gave it, and backed it up with Scripture that I believe to be relevant. I'm not here to debate with someone or engage in the futile exercise of trying to change someone's mind. 

[missmuffet]

18 minutes ago, Amazing Horse said:

I would gladly help anybody in need and i never rejected anybody personally , even before i was saved , but person who can't give up smoke even after he lost all that he had is not poor but stubborn and don't want to change , maybe God let him to lose that what he had to cleanse him from his addiction you never know , and you insteed of helping him you hurt him because in few years he might get lung cancer .

 

Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

 

Bible does not teach only for giving for free , but also for giving job to somebody insteed of feeding him.

 

For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

 

That person not only that he had money from Goverment as op said , but he just need it for his wicked stuff like ciggaretes or alchohol , insteed of being greatfull he is full of pride .

Poor people in other countries eat literally dust cakes , don't be sad because some dude can't smoke tonight .

This is a very judgemental post. So you do not drink coffee?

[ravindran]

I would. But if the person uses it to smoke and asks me money again, it would be different story. Either I would give it in a fashion he cannot misuse or not give.

[Neighbor]

Hi all,

I voted no. I would not give money; but then I never give money. I buy or pay for directly what the need is, but never give money. It's just a personal way to avoid being conned too often.  Will I buy a pack of cigarettes and give it along with other goods? Well I haven't so far,  but will I?

Sure and here is why: 

 A hurting person does not need my condemnation of his faults as I see them to be faults. He needs some help for his physical and mental needs. If he is not yet knowing of his lord and savior he has need to know, to hear the gospel of Jesus and he has need of prayer that the Holy Spirit will call him or her to their own repentance, which may or may not include not smoking cigarettes. BUT cigarettes are not a salvation issue, they are a secondary health  and a social issue, physical health not spiritual.

NO matter how depraved, no  matter what the sin, do I judge that a person is not worthy of my  prayer, my assistance if I can assist? I hope not.

Now in my own case, I smoked no less than five packs of cigarettes a day!  I was turned about by the Holy Spirit and just wasn't a smoker after that . I did not ever quit for I never had the strength within me to quit. It was and is still a gift from God to me individually that reminds me every time I see a smoker that God is awesome!

I have a close Christian friend that suffers greatly yet he still smokes. He just needs that little pleasure within his day in what is a really hard hard life of physical  pain for him. I should add to his pain by telling him what he already knows about cigarettes? I don't see the point in doing so.

Edited September 15, 2017 by Neighbor
typo- changed over to other

[Aimes]

On 9/18/2017 at 8:34 PM, Cletus said:

When someone asks me for money, i ask them, did you eat today.  If they say no, i buy them food and give them food.  i did it once when i knew they guy was drunk.  There are ways around having your money squandered, and still be able to look in the mirror and say, i did love them. 

Besides all my money goes to my sweetness and babies.  I am doing very well when i can keep new boots on my feet. 

I have a similar policy. I don't give money to hardly anyone at all - on the rare occasion when I felt led to I will but that doesn't happen often. If I see someone on the street I will often go pick up a meal someplace and bring it back to them. I have also been known to keep little gift cards for restaurants and hand those out when I see someone in need. I also keep a few of those little homeless care packages in my car to hand out to someone when I see them standing on the corner. I fully believe on those who are less fortunate but I don't believe in helping them support their addictions.