All verses in the Bible have to be understood correctly. It is easy to take one verse, and come up with the wrong answer. The following verse seems to suggest that we should sell all that we have, and give the money to the poor, and then follow Christ.

Mat 19:21  Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

Mat 19:22  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

The following two verses begin to shed some light on the subject. Peter forsook all and followed Christ, but Peter had a house.

Mat 8:14  Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever.

Mat 19:27  Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?”

The following verses show that if we have to walk away from property or family, for the kingdom of God: we will receive a hundredfold in this lifetime.

Mar 10:29  So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s,

Mar 10:30  who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions and in the age to come, eternal life.

Luk 18:29  So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God,

Luk 18:30  who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

God is quite happy to see His people prosper physically as well as spiritually.

3Jn 1:2  Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

We must do good when it is in our power to do so.

Pro 3:27  Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so.

God does not expect us to do the impossible; there are millions of poverty-stricken people on this planet, which we can do nothing about, but God does expect us to do what we can.

There is a lot to learn from the following verses. Ananias and Sapphira sold a possession, not all their possessions. They had the money, what they gave was up to them, but they lied about how much they got. They should not have lied.

Act 5:1  But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession.

Act 5:2  And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Act 5:3  But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?

Act 5:4  While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”

God requires us to do good when we can, sometimes helping others even to our own hurt. God does not require us to give what we can’t afford.

It is our decision to give as we are able, always remembering that God knows our hearts.