by R. Herbert | Feb 25, 2015 | Giving
It’s doubtless happened to you often. As you walk out of a shopping center, you are approached by someone who asks: “Could you spare a few dollars? – I need help.”
We have seen the signs many people carry, signs pulling at heart strings from every possible direction – “Homeless” “Veteran” “Injured” “Hungry” “Please help – God bless.” Some of these requests may reflect genuine need, but police officers and social welfare agents know that this is just a business for a good number of people, and that they are not truly destitute.
You know this, too, but how are we to judge a given case? What is the Christian’s right response when asked for help in such circumstances? God’s word shows that we should always be willing to give, but also that we should not give blindly. See our new article “The Savvy Samaritan” to understand Christian responsibility and the proper balance of care and caution.
by R. Herbert | Jul 14, 2014 | Giving
Giving of ourselves and what we have is a fundamental part of the Christian walk, though one we may not always think about as much as we perhaps could. Examples in God’s word are certainly there for us to follow, but sometimes it’s easy to read over them without due thought. John 3:16 is a case in point. We read “God so loved the world…” and that’s where our focus often stays – God’s love – but the very next words: “…that he gave his only begotten son…” show, of course, the expression of that love in giving. Because God loved, He gave.
Another thing we can keep in mind is that God’s purpose in giving is not only to bless us, but also that we should then be able to bless others. It’s a principle at least as old as God’s promises to Abraham who was “blessed to be a blessing”: “… I will bless you … and you will be a blessing … all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:2-3).
David spoke of this same reciprocal giving: “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand” (1 Chronicles 29:14).
So the principle of giving is clear, but do we just give when we encounter need or when we are asked – or do we plan our giving actively? I have known a number of individuals who not only decided to follow the Old Testament principle of giving ten percent of their income, but also, ten percent of their time – freeing up approximately an hour and a half of their waking lives to serve others in some way each day. Or they served in some career that aided others ten percent of an approximate lifespan. All these people were greatly blessed in their lives and brought blessings to others.
We may feel we are not able to fully follow such a principle in our own circumstances, but if the love of the God who gave and continues to richly give is within us, we too will be giving. If we plan to give, and look for ways we can share our time and resources rather than waiting till the needs of others look us in the face, we can probably all give more. The “planned giving” some people are able to arrange as a way to give through will and estate distribution may be good, but perhaps the best planned giving we can all engage in is planning what we can do to give of what we have, and of ourselves, now.
Note: TacticalChristianity.org and its sister site LivingWithFaith.org do not accept gifts or contributions, but we teach the responsibility and opportunity of giving.
by R. Herbert | Apr 10, 2014 | Giving
Osawa – Image from SmileTrain Website
The cleft repair charity
Smile Train recently announced its greatest “smilestone” to date – the one millionth cleft repair surgery completed by its partner surgeons.
Founded in 1999, Smile Train has grown to be the world’s largest cleft charity and has made great inroads repairing cleft palates and cleft lips in countries where these untreated disfigurements cause lifetimes of psychological pain and physical suffering. Children with clefts often cannot speak or eat properly, and their physical plight is compounded by the fact that they are often not allowed to attend school and they are ostracized, even by members of their own families.
Smile Train pioneered the training of doctors to perform the relatively fast 45 minute surgery to provide free, safe treatment for poor patients with cleft lip and/or palate. Organized in such a way that overhead expenses are largely paid by Smile Train’s board members, the charity is able to claim that virtually all donated funds go to repairing clefts for individuals who would never normally receive such help.
The charity’s one millionth patient, six year old Osawa Owiti from a remote village in Tanzania, had already experienced years of psychological and physical hardship, and his mother was also subject to the stigma, being unjustly blamed for her child’s cleft. But Osawa is now recovered from his surgery and happily enjoying the new life he has been given.
Smile Train – and all cleft repair groups – are to be thanked for the work they are doing. Considering the extent of the cleft problem throughout the world, it is something for which we can be truly grateful that this particularly debilitating cause of suffering is being so aggressively fought. You can read more about Osawa Owiti and the work of the Smile Train
here. It is a worthwhile work for which we can pray, and one which deserves continued support.
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