Whenever humans establish charitable and benevolence programs we must understand that some applicants may get benefits who truly didn't qualify. Even discerning individuals and Churches provide benefits to some who were not truly needy. We should not worry about the times these situations slip through our view. We should simply do our best to obtain background information, determine benefits eligibility, and have best practices that minimize fraudulent activity so we can help as many as we can who are truly in need. Once you find out that a person is not qualified for your help, then cut off money and resources to him / her and consider doing what is necessary and prudent to recapture anything taken fraudulently so you are the best steward possible of all the LORD entrusts to you.
Let past failures and the few times people may slip through the cracks in the future be lessons learned that help hone your individual and corporate benevolence processes and help you realize that in all things you must trust God and expect His help in order to be highly successful. You must ask God to help you use the right balance of intellectual ability and spiritual discernment because He created both to help you understand His ways and successfully walk through this life doing His will.
Jesus Christ, His apostles, and ancient biblical patriarchs and matriarchs did not live with the priority of being social service agencies. You do not find biblical accounts of them going about indiscriminately handing out money and resources to people many would consider needy. Their mission was to intimately know Father God and publish the good news of the Redeemer, Jesus Christ, so others could also choose Him and thus have a home in Heaven and be provided their need according to His riches in glory.
Our spiritual ancestor’s faithful actions (good works) were conduits that help us know Him better. They largely brought healing from affliction, deliverance from bondage, and lifestyle examples from which many subsequent generations could be blessed. In speaking of them, the bible, provides principles that govern charitable giving of money and resources and identifies peoples’ circumstances that meet qualifications for such benevolence. It aims those desiring benevolence at doing what is spiritually, physically, and mentally needful to help set themselves on the right course that contains everything necessary to meet their earthly needs.
Every Christian individual and corporate body must never forget that the primary mission is to worship and glorify the LORD, evangelize unbelievers, and make disciples of those who have chosen to believe. Refuse to get sidetracked by human and satanic agendas that would have you put your priority on providing social services. For it does not profit anyone to lose his / her soul, yet receive every earthly thing he / she desires or you could give him / her. Instead, put charitable works in their proper place, which is only to augment the number one priority of delivering the gospel to lost people headed toward an eternity in Hell. No matter their income and asset levels on this earth they are the poor the LORD is seeking to reach. Upon coming to Him in submitting their bodies as living sacrifices obedient to His good stewardship instructions for lifestyle including management of money He entrusts to them necessary provision, blessing, and reward will flow into their lives.
God will guide and set up situations for your fulfillment and success and that of His Church when you continually ask for His wisdom. He will provide appropriate help (people, plans, projects, money, resources, etc.) for the needy in every arena of life (family, neighborhood, business, church, governments, etc.). He will help you set qualifications that largely avoid benefitting the wicked, the greedy, the lazy, and the immoral and will help you understand the money and resources that should be expended and the time limits for providing such help. He blesses us to be a blessing, but we must put love in its proper context in order to truly love people and help those in need. Certainly, we can give people a fish on which they can eat for a day, but more importantly the LORD wants us to teach them how to fish so they can eat abundantly for a lifetime and throughout eternity.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May the LORD bless you richly as you follow His plan!
Genesis 41:33-57, Acts 6:1-7, 1Timothy 5:3-16, 2Thessalonians 3:3-16
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