Charity, does it work?

  • Thread starter Thread starter ett
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Did Jesus claim that Christians would solve world poverty with good works? I don’t think so. We are to serve the poor and relieve suffering. Charity isn’t something you do or use to solve problems, it’s something you participate in. Loves only goal is love.
 
ett said:
How well does charity work, or does it work at all? Please posts proof of charity changing anything. I’m staying neutral, but was rather disturbed by this documentary called Poverty, Inc. netflix.com/watch/80017992?trackId=14187335&tctx=10%2C2%2C6e250bf4-461a-47e2-ad80-b79f3cb8fd77-206672719

Give someone a fish and they have a fish, but teach them to fish and they may feed themselves.
Click to expand...
It works to our salvation if we keep the commandment:

John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another.
 
ett said:
How well does charity work, or does it work at all? Please posts proof of charity changing anything. I’m staying neutral, but was rather disturbed by this documentary called Poverty, Inc. netflix.com/watch/80017992?trackId=14187335&tctx=10%2C2%2C6e250bf4-461a-47e2-ad80-b79f3cb8fd77-206672719

Give someone a fish and they have a fish, but teach them to fish and they may feed themselves.
Click to expand...
Hi ett,
I was very poor at one point in my life. Years later, I can recall acts of charity and the difference they made in my life.
One effect of charity has been my heightened sense of gratitude and the wonderful memories I have of the kindness of others. It had bonded me more tightly to my community and expanded my notion of community and family. It also made a material difference in my life.
For example: the honorary grandma neighbor who responded to a home made Christmas gift with " oh kid, I forgot all about your gift, just a minute"- and then bustled to a downstairs freezer and filled a shopping bag with frozen packages of ground beef and pork-it felt like a shower of gold and fed my family very well for a long time.
Remembering it, as I type, warms my heart.
I have been blessed to be able to share kindness with others, and while it’s difficult to quantify the results in their lives, it has certainly rewarded me in the delight of giving.
Sometimes, when I’m being grudging, the reward is more of a soul searching and self- critique and working on trying to soften my heart. I’m a work in progress and charity does not always come easily to me.
Still, if I don’t practice, how will I get better?
Recently, I shared a feast with a bunch of kids. One kid and I went in together on a food item. After the feast, I was taking leftovers home and saw a homeless man while driving. I wasn’t sure if he would be interested in our item, but offered it to him and he took it with both hands, as if it were treasure.
When I described this to the kid the next day, the pleasure and pride in giving that shown on her face doubled my own pleasure. The charity made a difference to all of us.
May God bless you.
jt
 
Alms-giving does BOTH good, the one
giving AND the one receiving, so it is NOT
a waste if the one receiving used it for
a habit!!
 
Many charitable people just want to feel good about having “helped” others. I have had people tell me that it is none of their business and not their problem if the guy holding the sign by the interstate spends their donation on alcohol, or heroin. They feel they have done a saintly thing simply by giving the gift, and they are not interested in facts that may diminish the saintly feeling.
 
I volunteer for a food ministry in my community. Does charity help? Yes it does. We serve close to 600 families with much needed food. I know for some of our families we are the main source of food. So yes, it helps these families not go hungry. I have a staff (all volunteer) of wonderful folks who show up to help always.

What do I get out of it? I get to see the hands & feet of Jesus at work.
 
ett said:
How well does charity work, or does it work at all? Please posts proof of charity changing anything. I’m staying neutral, but was rather disturbed by this documentary called Poverty, Inc. netflix.com/watch/80017992?trackId=14187335&tctx=10%2C2%2C6e250bf4-461a-47e2-ad80-b79f3cb8fd77-206672719

Give someone a fish and they have a fish, but teach them to fish and they may feed themselves.
Click to expand...
Well, if they’re starving or otherwise in need, they may still need a period of support before they can start fishing themselves.

Add in the fact that in today’s world, fishing isn’t that simple; you often have to buy your fish from someone who’s looking to make a profit from it.

Add the various factors (unemployment, social circumstances, physical or mental illness) that may prevent you from getting your own fish, and well, you have a good case for charity.

Charity must be distinguished from certain governmental welfare programmes, which (if distributed indiscriminately and unwisely) can perpetuate the very problems they were meant to solve.
 
J_Peterson said:
Did Jesus claim that Christians would solve world poverty with good works? I don’t think so. We are to serve the poor and relieve suffering. Charity isn’t something you do or use to solve problems, it’s something you participate in. Loves only goal is love.
Click to expand...
True. I think Mother Teresa said something along those lines that we cannot change every thing in this world.
 
jeannetherese said:
Hi ett,
I was very poor at one point in my life. Years later, I can recall acts of charity and the difference they made in my life.
One effect of charity has been my heightened sense of gratitude and the wonderful memories I have of the kindness of others. It had bonded me more tightly to my community and expanded my notion of community and family. It also made a material difference in my life.
For example: the honorary grandma neighbor who responded to a home made Christmas gift with " oh kid, I forgot all about your gift, just a minute"- and then bustled to a downstairs freezer and filled a shopping bag with frozen packages of ground beef and pork-it felt like a shower of gold and fed my family very well for a long time.
Remembering it, as I type, warms my heart.
I have been blessed to be able to share kindness with others, and while it’s difficult to quantify the results in their lives, it has certainly rewarded me in the delight of giving.
Sometimes, when I’m being grudging, the reward is more of a soul searching and self- critique and working on trying to soften my heart. I’m a work in progress and charity does not always come easily to me.
Still, if I don’t practice, how will I get better?
Recently, I shared a feast with a bunch of kids. One kid and I went in together on a food item. After the feast, I was taking leftovers home and saw a homeless man while driving. I wasn’t sure if he would be interested in our item, but offered it to him and he took it with both hands, as if it were treasure.
When I described this to the kid the next day, the pleasure and pride in giving that shown on her face doubled my own pleasure. The charity made a difference to all of us.
May God bless you.
jt
Click to expand...
That’s a very touching story and thank you.
 
Great answers from everyone. It strengthens my faith to hear such good responses.
 
This reminds me of a story about a young boy in the beach. Low tide has set in, leaving thousands of stranded starfishes out on the sand. The young boy goes about picking the stranded starfishes and puts them back in the sea. A man, passing by, says “Why bother? You’re not going to be able to save them all. Why does it matter?”

The young boy replies, holding up a starfish, “Oh but it matters. It matters to this one.”

We may not be able to eradicate poverty for everyone but for those we helped, it mattered.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top