CHARITY IS NOT FREE

CHARITY

Friday, December 6, 2013 

1John 4:8 God is love.

  “charity” is in the KJV 24 times in 28 verses, and it only in the NT. It is never in KJV OT. It is most frequent, 20 times, in Paul’s writings, 6 of which are in the familiar 1Corinthians 13. All usage in Scripture designates acting in benevolence.

  Benevolence however can be a complex business:

·         In His message to us benevolence is strongly encouraged by our Lord.

·         Benevolent charity can build up, mature, lover and those loved.

·         Benevolence can do harm.

1.       It can be mishandled in a number of ways.

a.       Funds misappropriated by crooks.

b.      Donor lacking in discernment.

c.       Donor not investigation beforehand.

d.      Donor always 39.5 feet distant from recipients.

e.      Donor drawn into and entangled in web.

f.        Donor drawn into unhealthy relationship that harms donor and others.

2.       It can enable continued unbiblical attitude and actions by recipient(s).

3.       It can produce freeloader(s). “Why work to buy a cow when milk is free?!”

4.       It can complicate situation(s) and even make them worse.

5.       It can result in disaster individual or en bloc.

a.       To illustrate: Several times in history of charity to African nations suffering famine it was done by CEO’s interested in efficiency and stretching donor’s dollars. Stations distributing food, clothing, medical, and administrative assistance were set up and operated in urban centers. The outlying population, many of them farmers and small village dwellers, flocked to these stations en masse. After months or years of living on charity in makeshift camps . . . when the rains returned and/or war ceased, they didn’t go back to their farms. Consequently the nation was then unable to feed itself.  

 

  God encourages us to be benevolent. To best do this we must emulate Him. I’ve discovered such effort is not as simple as I once thought; it requires the mind of Christ. (1Cor.2:1-16)  EBB4