Being content with what we have and not hoarding wealth...

Anyone have any good ideas for what a person can do with their money that will truly make a difference? I have some money saved and I've been feeling like the Lord wants me to use some of it to help others; but what's the best way to help others? I don't want to just go out on the street and start handing it out. Any ideas?

SavedInHim said:

Anyone have any good ideas for what a person can do with their money that will truly make a difference? I have some money saved and I've been feeling like the Lord wants me to use some of it to help others; but what's the best way to help others? I don't want to just go out on the street and start handing it out. Any ideas?

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Thank you for asking.

Perhaps investigate charities, local and national, and ask if God is calling you to donate to any. From a practical side, you not only want to observe how they help the needy, but also whether the charities are efficient financially.

Blessings.

Ecclesiastes 2:26

"To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God."

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You can do nothing unless given to you from above, John the Baptist said this and Jesus told Pontius Pilate this.. What does this mean? Prayer is the most powerful weapon against evil. No amount of money could solve the problems in a world controlled by the evil one. Remember Satan is the god of this world and the battle belongs to the Lord.

chongshipei said:

As Christians, we ought to be content if we have a roof over our head and food to eat. The excess money we earned in our incomes could be donated to charitable causes like helping our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ oversea. We ought not to hoard more and more wealth for ourselves. Being content with just the necessities and giving away extra wealth to charitable causes like Asia Harvest, which help persecuted Christians should be our mindset if we truly love God AND people.

Talk is cheap. Action speaks louder. If we really see our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ as part of our family, we should do our best to help them have a roof and food to eat. This means being content with what we have and donating away our excess wealth to help them. If not, we must then admit that we are hypocrites and repent of our sins.

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This sounds a bit legalistic to me. Instead, we should give from out hearts and not out of compulsion. You can give away all you have and do so without love. That means nothing.
Being content is a wonderful thing and a real blessing, for sure- it's is good for the heart, lifts our spirits, gives us perspective on what truly matters, and is essential to godliness. Being generous with what we have is vital.
But to say you MUST give everything other than what you absolutely need is a command that is not Christian- God sees it as good if we leave an inheritance to our children's children.

Proverbs 13:22​

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous
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It is perfectly fine to do that. We should also keep something aside in case someone has urgent needs. This money can be given to the church and some can be kept for a person you meet on the street of a relative in need.
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1 Timothy 5:8
But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
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There are NO hard fast rules to giving other than to be generous, and care for one another both thru a church (missions and needs) and in person.
There are several good charities- I like Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) and
Samaritans purse allows you to purchase even chickens and cows, bibles, etc for the poor across the globe.

chongshipei said:

As Christians, we ought to be content if we have a roof over our head and food to eat. The excess money we earned in our incomes could be donated to charitable causes like helping our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ oversea. We ought not to hoard more and more wealth for ourselves. Being content with just the necessities and giving away extra wealth to charitable causes like Asia Harvest, which help persecuted Christians should be our mindset if we truly love God AND people.

Talk is cheap. Action speaks louder. If we really see our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ as part of our family, we should do our best to help them have a roof and food to eat. This means being content with what we have and donating away our excess wealth to help them. If not, we must then admit that we are hypocrites and repent of our sins.

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Admirable quality trait, but it is not required biblically. Yes we should help our brethren but there is no sin in and of itself if one is wealthy ( I am not).

It is not hypocritical if one is upper class if they are giving as God directs them. That is the heart of New Testament gving.

Also being content with food and clothing(that is what Paul said not a roof over our head), means that if God blesses us with more we should not strive or covet it, but be happy in all statesd, for wealth is not a measure of success but our relationship with god.