This verse came before me recently –
“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10)
When we think of “the household of faith,” fellow Christians come to mind – perhaps those in the local church meeting as well as those serving the Lord in missions work.
One organization that is missions-oriented is CMML – Christian Missions in Many Lands.
On the Homepage it says, “We help churches, individuals and organizations send funds to support missionaries around the world. 100% of every gift is distributed to the Lord’s work, and whenever possible, suggestions from donors are honored.”
I would like to spend a few moments and turn our attention to other organizations that we might also support – those who help those who need help.
We know the list is huge. Some are household names, such as the Salvation Army, Red Cross, Goodwill and so on. There are also many smaller, lesser known names, some that we might not be familiar with.
Recently, I came across a website called Charity Navigator.
On the About Us page, it states “Charity Navigator is the world’s largest and most trusted nonprofit evaluator.” A little further down we read, “…donors can give with confidence knowing the organizations that are highly rated on Charity Navigator efficiently steward donations and are accountable and transparent.”
In perusing the website, there are a few organizations that are worthy of our consideration that have the highest possible rating – 100 out of 100 – at the time of this writing (October, 2021)
Here they are, in no particular order –
Their website states, “The Orphan Grain Train is a Christian volunteer network that ships donated food, clothing, medical and other needed items to people in 69 different countries including the USA.”
On their website, it states that “SEE International is a non-profit organization helping to end preventable blindness in the United States and across the globe. We provide free eye care and sight-restoring surgeries to those in need. SEE is proud to be a top-rated charity by Charity Navigator, GuideStar and BBB’s give.org.”
Their website says, “City Union Mission is an evangelical Christian ministry committed to sharing the gospel and meeting the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of men, women, and children who are poor or homeless.”
The Bible has a number of scriptures that speak to giving – Matthew 6:1-4, 2 Corinthians 8:9-15 and 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 to name a few.
There is also 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 which tells us that giving is an expression of worship.
When it comes to donating to “charity” organizations, we want to be wise and try to support those who have a high rating and are accountable and transparent, as Charity Navigator mentions. The above are just a few examples.
We certainly don’t want to forget supporting our immediate families, our church family and our local communities (food banks and the like).
I think we can all agree that our life becomes more fulfilling when we help others by sharing our time, talents and treasure.
Paul, the apostle, said, “But to do good and to [share] forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” (Hebrews 13:16)
We can bring pleasure to the heart of God by making these “sacrifices.”