Charity begins with Honesty!

Scripture Read: 1 Timothy 5:3-7  Honor widows who are widows indeed; ⁴ but if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family and to make some return to their parents; for this is acceptable in the sight of God. ⁵ Now she who is a widow indeed and who has been left alone has fixed her hope on God and continues in entreaties and prayers night and day. ⁶ But she who gives herself to wanton pleasure is dead even while she lives.

Application: One of the historical marks of true Christianity is charity. Taking care of the weak and helpless; note it is the very opposite of evolution (the survival of the fittest). James give us a strong image of charity in the context of his statement " faith without works is dead". Here, Paul adds to that image when he brings in an aspect of charity that many seem to want to ignore - accountability! Some take a contradictory stand insisting that true charity asks for NOTHING in return, “no strings attached”. Define strings! Insinuating that there should be no gain by the giver. If you mean "what do I get out of it by what I give you" I agree. However, if that definition includes "no responsibility" then I must disagree. There is the responsibility of the giver to give what is “best” for the receiver, for it to be real charity. 

Responsibility does not say "what's in it for me", but, "what is best for you?". An example would be seen in Soup Kitchens and Shelters that give them both food for their stomachs and food for their souls. A free meal or place to sleep, but you will hear the gospel. Why do some consider that wrong? If a man is sick and hungry and you feed him only, but refuse to give him medicine, so he dies, what charity is that? They seem content to send a well-fed man to hell. Your Word Lord teaches “responsibility” should be a part of the formula in charity. 

So Paul teaches us about taking care of widows as an example of charity. He covers two issues. First, he gives us a qualifier about the widow being truly alone; does she have a family that should step up and help, and not shirking their responsibilities. Her family should not leave her to get help from the Church, because this is aid that should go to widows that are really on their own. The second issue is reality of life. How does this woman live? Remember this is not charity being given to open the door to share Christ, that is a different matter and the responsibility is different in the way I described earlier. This charity is almost like a retirement plan. The Church is stepping up to care for this woman for the rest of her life. This is not "owed" anyone. The Church owes no one except the Lord! It is reasonable to have the responsibility of godly living expected from a person that is being supported by the money given for God's use. We need to show charity to all, but we also need to seek what is needed most by those we are helping including our charity. When no responsibility is included in the giving you could actually be damaging the situation. For example, you see a poor man asking for money – you give it to him. You are hoping he takes it and buys some food with it to nourish himself, but then you find out he went and bought a drug that was just enough this time to take his life. Would it not have been better to buy food for him and give it to him, or offer work so he could earn money for food and sense the integrity that work brings? Many times when people are in need, it is that very need that God orchestrated in their lives to break their self-dependent pride. In that humble environment, for the first time their heart may be open to God, so with the food you may share why God is loving them. Even here in this text, the widow with family may have the opportunity with the family to talk about God and how He desires them to minister to their family member. We must be charitable, but we also must keep it honest!

Meditation Questions: When you give to someone in need, what are the steps you take? Prayer? Investigation? Is it fair to expect a hungry man to hear the gospel, without having food? Is it right to feed a hungry man food and ignore his soul? What is our responsibility to others? What about the weak and helpless I the church. Are they to fend for themselves? Is it wrong for us to ask tough questions before we give charity? Why do we hesitate? So who are we trying to protect? What does that say about our charity?