Charity Begins at Home

(Proverbs 5:10 KJV)  Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;

This verse could be considered a caution about how we direct our charity.  We are constantly barraged by people outside stores wanting us to donate to causes that sound serious and might actually be genuine.  Recently I have seen people collecting to help gang members straighten out, homeless veterans, and something to do with a high school. 

I believe God has priorities for our giving but we are too lazy or timid to follow them.  First, we have a responsibility to care for our biological family.  That works both up and down.  Then we have our brethren.  These are people in the family of God, starting with your local church and going to the persecuted in Muslim lands.  Then our neighbor.  These are people that you live and work with.  After that you can worry about all of the people on street corners with their hand out.  We are to be stewards, not philanthropists.

So?  It is nice to want to give to everyone in need but don’t feel guilty if you don’t.  Your charity needs to be done in obedience and following God’s priorities, just like everything else in the life of righteousness.