by Mark L. Russell

Most Christians recognize and realize that Christ calls us to care for the least and the lost. He put it clearly when he said, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40 NIV).

Giving is good. Several years ago I lived in Russia and, unbeknownst to my roommate and me, we needed to stockpile food in anticipation of the winter. During the winter months, food shortages were common there. Unfortunately, we learned this when an unexpected snowstorm blew in and all the food markets shut down. We had no food and no way to get it. We were fully dependent on the kindness of strangers for our next meal. I’m thankful many people gave to us generously.

Giving is clearly a part of our biblical calling as followers of Christ. Giving is good not only because it benefits the recipient, but also because it benefits the giver. It is morally purifying. Jesus said, “But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you” (Luke 11:41 NIV). Giving takes us to greatness. Proverbs 18:16 says, “A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great” (NIV).

There are many people in true need who require generosity on the part of others. For example, people recovering from traumatic natural disasters find themselves in desperate need of others who will step up and provide for them. The Bible frequently cites widows and orphans—people who have no family to care for them—as people in need of a gift.

Millions of children around the world, for a wide variety of reasons, are in need of basics like food and water and medicine. Other children, again for various reasons, are denied the opportunity to receive an education. Giving a child the opportunity to receive an education is a gift that lasts a lifetime.

Giving supplies some needs but direct charity without proper discretion can actually cause harm. Some giving can actually perpetuate poverty.

Here are some principles to help ensure that our giving results in maximum benefit:

Give anonymously. Anonymous giving is good for one’s spiritual walk. Jesus said, “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:3–4 NIV).

It is also good for the recipient. Being put in the position of depending on others can be humbling, even humiliating.

Through the years I’ve interviewed hundreds of poor people who have received charity. Many of them deal with a high degree of anxiety and anguish because of the way they had to receive the charity.

Drawing unnecessary attention to the recipient is almost always detrimental. Anonymous giving can offset the negative effects of gift receiving.

Give dignity and opportunity. As I see it, there are two primary sets of people who find themselves in poverty. The first are people who have become addicted to some type of drug, have made a series of bad decisions, or have otherwise done something to create their own situation.

The second are people who were born into generational poverty and/or were thrust into poverty due to external circumstances—think human trafficking, sudden death of close family, natural disasters, severe illness, and abandonment, etc.—over which they had little or no control. [A third category might be those people who simultaneously or at various stages fall into both sets.]

Unfortunately, many people do not give generously because they only consider the first set of impoverished persons. But there are millions, even billions, of people who really just need an opportunity. They need a hand up, not a handout. Gifts specifically for education and microenterprise (or loans/no-interest loans) can offer the poor opportunity with dignity.

As for that first group, whose actions left them in poverty, they live in a world where they carry a stigma and consequences for their actions. But we serve a God of second chances, even 70 times 7 chances. If we believe in redemption, then we should be willing to give it to others. Felons and addicts all need dignity and opportunity.

Give through professional organizations. Through the years I have occasionally given something directly to a person on the street. It’s always been food, never money. And those times of giving have been meaningful and memorable.

However, after years of working for and with professional charities, I have become convinced that much counterproductive giving can be eliminated by donating through a professional organization. Not only that, I believe the positive effects of giving can be multiplied in wonderful ways by these types of ministries.

Well-respected Christian charities/ministries have spent years figuring out what works and what doesn’t. Why reinvent the wheel? These groups have specific expertise, local knowledge, and good relationships. A gift through these organizations grows, expands, and achieves maximum impact. It is giving that not only feels good, but also does well.

Editor’s note: This article by Mark Russell is focused on charity (straight donations). New Hope Digital acknowledges there are many other ways to help the poor, some of which have been explored by Mark and others on this site (fair-trade employment, for instance).

Mark Russell, author of The Missional Entrepreneur, is a widely respected voice in the missional community. He has lived in Russia, Chile, and Germany, and has traveled to more than 70 countries to carry out a variety of business, educational, humanitarian, and religious projects. Contact Mark through www.russell-media.com; www.facebook.com/marklrussell; www.twitter.com/marklrussell.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.