"Give to every man that asketh of thee: and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again." Luke 6:30 (KJV)

This is a verse where putting Scripture in context (of other Scripture) a.k.a. the "analogy of faith is helpful.

I copied parts of this from an explanation in another post as it has helped me understand generally how to understand Scripture:


"analogia fidei (analogy of faith) that teaches us to compare Scripture with Scripture, to interpret less clear passages by clearer passages, and that permits us to deduce teachings by good and necessary consequence from the text of Scripture. Many key doctrines, like the Trinity and the nature of the Incarnation, are gathered from a multitude of passages spread throughout Scripture and are not necessarily taught with the explicitness in a given passage... "

This means other passages help inform our understanding of this one.

For example, we would not violate the summary of the Ten Commandments (Do unto others...) by giving something that would be harmful (Matthew 7:12).

The answer to what circumstances require us to give to would depend on context, and its good you are thinking about how to biblically apply it.

If someone has a genuine need for a necessity (e.g. food or clothing) and it was within my ability to help, I think one would have a high duty to provide it, without expecting anything in return (that gets to the second part of the verse).

One time a man, begging, came up to me at a gas station and asked for three dollars for a hamburger. The man was overweight, though he did look pitiful. Having been involved with the Salvation Army in the past, I noticed a Salvation Army office right down the street. I told the man, "There's the Salvation Army office right there, go there and they will help you with food." The man replied,
"I don't want that, I want a hamburger," and he gestured toward a nearby Burger King.
My sense was a basic food need is legitimate but being choosey is not really. I did not give him any money. I struggled a bit about this but eventually came to peace that I did the right thing.

I feel a lot better about referring people to the Salvation Army when I am financially supporting it.

Maybe Jesus is saying here to meet needs as best we can, but not necessarily wants or desires. Sometimes we may even meet a want or a desire, to be a blessing or to witness, too. It might not also be good to help further a pattern of dependency out of "love for our neighbor," too.

__________________
Scott
PCA
North Carolina