How to Give like a Wise Man

Seven Key Guidelines to Giving Wisely

Millions of dollars are wasted this time of year. Generous Christians tend to make gifts in December without thinking carefully. Because you want to be a good steward of God’s resources AND you want your donations to have maximum impact on genuine needs, consider the following guidelines before you write your checks:

1. Focus on the Purpose. You give in order to honor Christ as you help meet the needs of His children. A true gift is selected according to the needs of the “recipient,” not according to how the gift will make the donor feel.
2. Give where non-Christians are not likely to give. Explicitly Christian ministries (including churches) have a smaller pool from which to draw.
3. Give according to Need. Some ministries and organizations have greater financial needs than others.
4. Think Globally. We must take part in God’s work in our own neighborhoods, but it is not biblical to limit ourselves – “in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the uttermost” (Acts 1:8).
5. Think Strategically. There is joy in knowing that a gift might help someone. There is more joy in knowing your investment will produce “grace ripples” across an entire community, nation or the world.
6. Think Holistically. Of course, we need to show mercy to the poor. But some poverty is well-disguised. No one is “more poor” than the person that does not know the love of Jesus… even if they live in a nice home.
7. Support ministries that are Trustworthy. Not everything that smells like a rose is a rose. Support ministries led by people you know and trust.

There are people on your Christmas list who have no real needs, but you want (or feel the need) to give them something. Make a donation to a worthy Christian ministry in their honor. This is a win-win-win strategy that makes Jesus smile. And it is His Birthday!

If you think FollowOne International fits these guidelines, you can make a donation online or send your check to FollowOne International, 715 Glen Eagle Drive, Winter Springs, FL 32708.

Don’t Fence Me In

I just had another wonderful visit with my sweet and godly mother, Sarah Mae Davis Loftin in Jackson, MS. She loves to talk about her only son, and I love to listen. Mama told me something about my childhood that I had never heard. “No fence could hold you back,” she said.

When I was 4 years old Mama convinced Daddy to build a fence around our small back yard. She desperately needed a place to send me where I could burn off some energy during the day. Mama remembers Daddy working hard all day, with my help. Just as he was finishing the last section, Mama looked up and saw me scaling the new fence on the way to my friend Tommy’s house. “James, you always had places to go.”

I’m still trying to go beyond the “fences.”

My favorite Christmas carol is Go Tell It on the Mountain. Christmas without this song is just not Christmas. If the birth of Jesus is really good news of great joy for all people, we have to take this announcement beyond the fences of our own family, comfort and culture.

Although the history of slavery in America is painful and ugly, God’s grace prevails in even the most sinful and dehumanizing situations. Upon their arrival in America many African slaves learned about the birth of a Savior who would set all men free. Amazingly, some slaves were able to separate this gracious truth from the inhumane treatment they received from the very people that delivered the Good News. In keeping with their African traditions, the slaves sang and danced about the miracle of Jesus. One of the songs that emerged was Go Tell It on the Mountain.

Although we celebrate the birth of Jesus year after year, over 2 billion people have not heard the news of His coming. For the glory of God and the good of those who have yet to hear the angel’s message, let us sing the Good News from whatever “mountaintop” we have. And if you can dance, then dance. Beyond any fences of fear, pc-ness, comfort, prejudice or doubt, let’s sing:

Go, tell it on the mountain
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

What are some ways you are creatively telling the message this year?

What are some fences that are trying to keep you quiet?