Deuteronomy 15:7-8

"If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of they gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, not shut thine hand from thy poor brother:
But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth."
Deuteronomy 15:7-8


This is cool.  Not only should we not shut our hands, but we should open our hands wide. :)  Interestingly, although in this case it says lend, this chapter also talks about the fact that the law was that you were supposed to forgive all debts every seven years... and right after this scripture it says that you shouldn't refuse to lend just because the seventh year is drawing nigh.  So, basically, we need to give with open hearts and hands, not expecting to be paid back... although, always, the Lord blesses us more abundantly than we give.  I think that sometimes we forget that the Lord gave us everything that we have, and we start thinking that we achieved it through some merit of our own... and therefore we decline to give to others, thinking that they should be out there working as hard as we are... :)  It is easy to think that way, but the whole thing is a big trap.  People who have worked hard their whole lives can be poor, and people who haven't worked a speck can be rich.  No matter our circumstances, we are all reliant upon God for everything that we have, and for every breath than we take.  There is no reason to worry that someone else might get more than we have... God will bless us beyond our ability to accept anyway.