Dear Zeph what you say is true to some degree, but this a minority problem. I have not really seen a christian act with strange attitudes while serving those in need (especially none serving in secret) ... or at least not in a way that was too obvious.

I have not seen a self-righteous person mingle getting his own hands dirty to help a homeless person. For to be self-righteous means that he is in the right, and the homeless in the wrong. The self-righteous would not see it fit to help a homeless person, for this very homeless person in theory would be suffering out of the consequences of his sins. Thus a self-righteous person would think, why help a person who keeps sinning and bring calamity to his own head. This is how Job's friends thought of Job.

I have never heard any homeless person complain that he was given too much food to eat, or clothes to wear, or even offered a place to shower too often. One can perhaps give without loving, but one cannot love without giving. If one loves, one must give. For most of the christian community what is lacking is the tangible serving of those in true need. Not just giving money, but actually being personally involved in serving, as Isaiah 58 mentions.

Here in NYC we can see some amazing expressions of graciousness where a few churches have volunteered their spaces to serve as shelters to the homeless. And the amazing thing is that some of those churches are so rich they could care less for the homeless, yet from the homeless perspective, a clean and warm place to sleep is a great place, no matter how heartfelt the giving was. In otherwords, it is a benefit to the helpless regardless of the giver, some of them still glorify and give thanks to God for His mercy. I have seen some volunteers, who go volunteering as the shelter hosts and quite frankly i am not sure why they are volunteering.... they do not look cheerful at all to do it, they can hardly make conversation with the homeless they are serving, and yet it were not for them, the shelters could not function, because there are not enough of us who can actually talk to the homeless persons in an interesting manner, because those of us who are actually able to do it, do not do it. So i praise the Lord for even the begrudging volunteers. Basically all these volunteers have to do is to sleep there for the night, not even every night.

Nevertheless, regardless of the attitude issues, unless we even begin obeying and serving, we will not really know how much our own love needs to grow, or whether we even have need for attitude adjustment.

We are saved because of God's grace reached out to us, but there is a reason that we are saved here on earth, that we may take part in the redemption of souls: for His glory and in service to Him by serving our neighbors, and especially those in need (since they actually need and want our service -- as opposed to the rich who actually do not see the need for our service, not all are like this but most are). Reading the bible and going to church is not really serving, it is rather receiving a spiritual blessing.

I leave us with the following verses:

Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.' (Matt 7:21-23)

"Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'" (Matt 25:34-40)

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