Our recent experience with the very great & much appreciated charity of Craig R. & his donation of shoes & sock to the kids who visit Makanalani made us think about charity & what it means as a Christian.
Of course Christians have always been known for their charity, following the example set by Jesus, but what does the bible say about giving?
Here are a few of our favorite verses. We hope they inspire you in your daily life. We find that the more we follow the words of the Bible, the greater our joy in life & the more riches, many of them intangible, are gifted to us.
“Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.”
Matthew 5:42
This verse is interesting, since we do not always think of loan as charity, but in many cases they can be. Helping someone is not always just giving, sometimes it’s finding a way to help them not just through the crisis of the moment, but to learn to deal better with their life so that future crises can be avoided.
It is very much in keeping with:
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
This quotation is not from the Bible, but it does encompass much of what we try to achieve through Christian charity – helping in a way that is best suited for the long term.
This saying from Jesus always effects us deeply. It is so profound & so humble – a great teacher telling us what is important in this life:
“For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in.”
Matthew 25:35
And this from Luke 14, which is very much how we feel at Makanalani, where everyone is welcome:
‘Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”’
We hope that you have an opportunity today to practice charity in some way, small or large, for it is truly a gift to the giver as well as the receiver.
