Serving the Poor

A few years ago I came across an article in Discipleship Journal by Anne Meskey Elhajoui on A Transformed Life. Yesterday I came across it again, this time at the DJ on-line archive. One of the convicting paragraphs that stood out the first time I read it, and remains convicting:

Finally, after studying these verses, I stumbled upon what I thought to be a biblical typo: "[God] is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish," (Lk. 6:35, RSV). Could that be correct? What an interesting crescendo to this convicting passage. I'd already learned that serving the poor isn't always easy. I'd been burned a time or two for loving Sheila. But Jesus was crucified for loving me. He gave everything! This is the irony of the cross. How often I fail to acknowledge the blessings and love He's lavished upon me while still expecting Him to give more. Is Sheila any different from me? What if God stopped giving when I was ungrateful, selfish, or failed to show progress?