Charitable giving is the act of giving money, goods or time to the unfortunate, either directly or by means of a charitable trust or other worthy causes. Charitable giving as a religious act or duty is referred to as almsgiving or alms. This name stems from the most obvious expression of the virtue of charity, giving the recipients of it, means they need to survive. The impoverished, particularly those widowed or orphaned, and the ailing or injured, are generally regarded as the proper recipients of charity. The people who cannot support themselves and lack outside means of support sometimes become BEGGARS directly soliciting aid from strangers encountered in public.
Sometimes, some groups regard charity as being distributing towards other members from within their particular group charity or charitable giving is not limited to those that are closer to you. The act of charity should be a selfless sacrifice that you have to give or rather make for the good of someone who is in need.
Most forms of charity are concerned with providing basic necessities such as food, water, clothing, healthy care and shelter, but other actions may be performed as charity. Visiting the imprisoned or the home bound, ransoming captives, educating orphans, even social movement. Donations to causes that benefit the unfortunate indirectly, such as donations to fund a particular research such as finding cure for cancer, Ebola, Aids etc. Research is also an act of charity.
Though making donations of such is a good example of charity but many people find that actually helping out people makes them even more involved and directly responsible for the good that comes out of the work-charities provide to those in need.
One good thing about the act of charity, is that when you do a charity work for an organization, you are offering your time and services toward the greater good of your community and the good of all those living in that area.
The act of charity that one does in a community can instill a good habit in the young ones. Most times, we do something without knowing its impact on the members of the public. There is a good number of people who are waiting for someone to “ginger” them up so that they can do something in the society or do something for an individual that is to say, that a single act of charity you have shown to one person, can make most people to partake in charitable giving.
With regard to religious aspects, the recipients of charity may offer to pray for the benefactor. It is not just “may” offer to pray for the benefactor but whoever receives alms never stop thanking God for the life of the giver.
The Bible makes us understand that givers never lack and the same Bible told us that in alms giving, we should not let our left hand know what our right hand is giving but today most people have derailed from the word charity or almsgiving.
Nowadays people give charity to the poor or to the community because of what they await in return. One who gives charity should expect his/her reward from God but rather than doing that many have resorted to charitable giving with ulterior motives.
The word charity has been abused by many because they have forgotten the meaning of charity.
Charitable giving is a selfless sacrifice; it is an act of one being moved to do good to people, individual or his community without hoping to get something in return.
The thought of a good number of individuals that claimed to have given alms is filled with negativity. They see charity as a business not with God but with the benefactor. Charity is supposed to be a business between man and God, it is the buying and selling that ought to be between man and God and not man to man.
I’m not saying that one cannot benefit from the people we show the act of charity but what I am saying is that as a giver, you should give with a clear mind and conscience.
Christians should imbibe the culture of charity, that is selfless giving with no strings attached. Christians should understand that being a Christian is not limited by being baptized and going to Sunday service, Christianity requires a sacrifice, your hunger to help someone in need, your hunger to set a beginning, a starting point for people, and also making people who feel life is not worth living realise that there is hope and a better future for them.
