The Blessed are to be a Blessing
At work, we often refer to the time of year between January through late spring as rubber chicken dinner season. This is when many nonprofits that have either organization, center, association, connection, foundation or the like in their names, host their annual dinners/galas/banquets in order to raise money for their specific charities. While the term rubber chicken is used facetiously, the theme of these events is the same: time to open up your wallets.
This time of year also reminds me of the age old American tradition…filing our taxes. Love it or hate it, it’s as certain as death. A line item found on the 1040 tax return (10b. to be specific) is for Charitable contributions. You are allowed to deduct the amount you donate to charity in order to offset your income tax liability. The history of being able to deduct what we give to charitable organizations such as our tithes, support of missions, food pantries, homeless shelters, group homes, thrift agencies, etc. stems back to the late 1800s. American industrialist, Andrew Carnegie, who could be referred to as an influencer at that time, was quoted in his book, The Gospel of Wealth, that a wealthy individual should “consider all surplus revenues which come to him simply as trust funds, which he is called upon to administer, and strictly bound as a matter of duty to administer in the manner which, in his judgment, is best calculated to produce the most beneficial results for the community…”
This could be paraphrased as: We should, as our duty, designate our excess income to benefit the community.
The ideal of being charitable has stood the test of time. The word charity has its roots in the Hebrew word tzedakah, which means righteousness, justice or fairness. It was the ancient Jews’ religious obligation to do what is right and just. In Leviticus 19, God was speaking to Moses of the various laws that were to be followed by the Israelites. In verses 9 & 10, He says, “When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edge of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the resident alien; I am the Lord your God.” This law was a protection for the poor and the foreigner. Further, in Deuteronomy 24:19-22, God reminded His people that as slaves in Egypt, they too were foreigners. He was calling them, calling us, to look out for the poor, orphaned and widowed. While tzedakah can seem like a duty, the nature of these commands was out of God’s love for His people.
Charity in the Greek is derived from the word agape, or love. While there are biblical references specifically referring to charity as being a duty or physical works or acts of giving (Acts 9:36; 10:4 and 31), more importantly, we read that these works are spawned out of love. Jesus loved, comforted and healed the poor, the orphaned and the lame. He wants us to love the same way. Jesus tells us in Matthew, prior to his death, who will be revealed as righteous before God, when he spoke this to his disciples: ‘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 took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me.’ ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matt 25:35-36 & 40).
While we should be unconditional with our love, just as Jesus was, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be discerning with regard to what type of charities to support. We should seek wisdom before making such decisions. We should seek God’s will on how we are to best deploy our resources.
“Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.” (1 Peter 4:8-10)
God loves us so much that He sacrificed His son to die only to be raised three days later as the ultimate feat over death. We are His charity case. We are foreigners on this earth. Jesus tells us in John 14:18 that he will not leave us as orphans. God, again, is watching out for His people by sending the Holy Spirit to dwell among us (John 14:26) until He returns.
Jesus also said, “Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over—will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38). Whether you itemize or take the standard deduction, giving to charity benefits us financially. We, however, receive a far greater gift when we are a blessing to others, exhibiting tzedakah as a result of our agape.