Charity and Tithing: Why These Acts Should Be Part of You...
2 years ago
Charity and Tithing: Why These Acts Should Be Part of Your Life as A Christian. (Full title)
Greetings friends.
Today I will write to you on charity and tithing, and why both of these acts are important in the life of a good Christian servant.
Charity is extremely important as noted in Christian gospel and understanding. The two main reasons for this is that we are all made in the LORD's image - we all have precious value and worth to the LORD. The second reason is that Christians understand that all the earnings and property they acquire in life is given to them by the LORD. We come into this world free of possessions and it is how we will go out of this world. Christians are taught to understand that everything you own - your car, your house, your clothes, your money, it's all on loan to you from the LORD and as a good servant of the Lord Jesus Christ you are expected to make use of these resources when applicable in order to help those who are in need, essentially helping to further the LORD's kingdom through kindness and charity and the spreading of the gospel and knowledge of His presence through these acts.
A churchmouse and churchmouse wife from Disney's Robin Hood.
Scene depicting the churchmouses' wife donating their meager savings to the destitute church being run by Friar Tuck.
Tithing to your local church is an act that not only supports your church and the good that it does for the community, but is also an act of faith on your part where you are demonstrating to the LORD that you have an understanding that everything you have made monetarily for that week or month was given to you by Him, and you are showing your faith and submission to the LORD by giving a percentage back to Him. Christians do this because they know that the LORD will continue to bless them with work, wages, and His protection and blessings by showing generosity. These two acts - charity and tithing are also a spiritual method to combat one of the seven deadly sins, greed. By making it a habit of giving a portion of your paycheck to your church and perhaps a monthly donation to a charity of your choice - you are ensuring that your "Charity Muscle" stays healthy and strong. One who gives regularly will continue to give regularly if they have the means to do so. One who gives rarely despite abundance will, most likely continue on in only giving on rare occasions.
How much should one tithe? A lot of Christians go by the 1/10 of your earnings rule. So for example if you were to make $500 in one week - you would tithe $50 to your church that week. You should still try to give to charities even while you tithe to your church. Try not to develop a mindset of 'Well I did one, so I don't have to do the other'. If you have the means to give to both areas, do so. Our Lord Jesus will understand if you are only able to give so much due to bills and obligations, but do be careful. He can look into our hearts and know whether you are being honest in only having a little to give or if you are choosing to hold onto what you are given without giving back.
There is a good example given in The Holy Bible where our Lord Jesus Christ shows that sometimes, giving less than others can easily mean that we are giving more. See Mark 12:42-44:
'But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”'
This is a beautiful example of having faith in the LORD even if you are not blessed with abundance. A poor widow - considered an extremely vulnerable class during biblical times comes and donates a small amount - but a small amount that is a large amount of what she has to offer. It is far, far less of a donation compared to what others were giving, however our Lord Jesus recognizes the incredible trust and faith and compassion that the poor widow has in giving what little she has to help others when one could argue that she would benefit from help herself. So even if you have not been blessed with abundance, it is still possible to show faithfulness to our LORD by giving even just a little, when we can.
Let's look at some bible verses that discuss the importance of helping others through charity.
The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives. Psalm 37:21
He who gives to the poor will never want, But he who shuts his eyes will have many curses. Proverbs 28:27
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Matthew 19:21
He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. Ephesians 4:28
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7
These are just a few moments from The Holy Bible that speak of the importance of having a giving heart. I highly advise my readers to read The Holy Bible, as I often do. There is so much wisdom within it - and if you incorporate that wisdom into your heart and mind and life, you will have intelligence and understanding beyond your years.
The 2 Corinthians 9:7 verse highlights a very importance aspect when giving. We must try not to give with an internal feeling of 'I'm only doing this because I HAVE to. I would rather keep it but, ...oh well." NO! We must not think this way my brothers and sisters. Although I believe the LORD would rather have you giving something as opposed to not giving at all - He wants us to give with a spirit of love and humility, out of a desire to make a sacrifice of having a little less money because we understand that as His servants we have been tasked with being in service to the rest of His children. This is what the verse means by our Lord loving a cheerful giver. Give with happiness in knowing that your charitable donation is going to lift someone up in a way that they would not have been able to do themselves. By committing to acts of charity you are entering into the chess-board battlefield of good vs. evil in this fallen world by selflessly laboring at your job for wages in order to help and protect others who are weak and vulnerable and in need of assistance.
To my young Christian lambs in training or those who are considering joining yourselves in service to the LORD and His Son our savior - let me add to all this advice a stern warning:
There are many wolves that are in this world that understand that there are people like you and I who are willing to give of our labor and dollars in order to help others. These predators prey on charitable hearts by setting up fake charities seeking donations - sometimes elaborately written with very convincing names or web pages in order to secure your confidence and dollars. As if this was not bad enough, there are also some charities who stretch the definition of charity organization because they spend half or more of the donations they receive on administration(salaries within their company) as well as advertising (to pull in more dollars). Some "charities" rake in massive amounts of donations because they spend equally massive amounts on advertising their charity, with the end result being only a fraction of what comes in going to the mission goal that their charity focuses on. One could argue 'But aren't people still being helped in such instances?" Well, yes, technically speaking. But the CEO and higher ups in these "charities" are helping themselves to the majority of the donations rather then putting that money to work for the LORD. It's a grift, and it's legal for them to do. The onus is on you, the young Christian - to research what charities you would like to help out with your hard earned dollars. It's much better to donate to a charity that puts the majority of its donations to its stated goals rather then to reward a CEO and higher ups of a company because they have the means($$) and the motive (greed) to use a charity to live the high life.
Some helpful tips:
NEVER give to "charities" or "organizations" that call you up over your phone. "The National Policeman's fund", "The National Firefighter's fund for disabled Firefighters', "The Global Alliance for Muscular Dystrophy Advancement" ...etc. Most often when these calls come in over the phone it is by means of robo-dialers that use an advanced AI to "talk" to you. It's not even a real person but these AI are programmed so well that it will seem extremely likely that it is a real person on the other end. They call you to solicit a donation to help replace equipment for beleaguered police officers or firefighters, or to advance research for some specific disease, etc. IF you do a bit of research on the names of these groups that call you - you will find out that 99% of the time these are POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEES (PACS) - NOT 501c3 nonprofits/charities. They are PACS because there is much less scrutiny/legal rules for PACS to follow when soliciting donations. They can tell you just about whatever they want - how your donation will help X cause - and they will then turn around and use 90% or more of your donation to paying out whoever is running that PAC, along with whatever political methods and goals that PAC is aiming for. Oh, certainly, they will give 3-5% (or something like that) to the charity/goal they told you they are calling you about over the phone - but do you see the method here? They use the concept of charity to raise massive amounts of money that they use for reasons they never disclose to you, and only give a tiny fraction of the donations to the area they mention to you to protect themselves legally.
NEVER GIVE MONEY to anyone who calls you over the phone. They call you instead of mailing you because it costs them way less this way and because they know they can play on your emotions and good will and use the above deception to get money out of you. You think you are giving to a good cause but you are really giving to a PAC who will use the money however they wish - and that's if it isn't someone who is outright a scammer/criminal group outright scamming individuals. A lot of the elderly fall victim to these phone calls and other "phishing" attempts where people will call you claiming to be your bank, your credit card company, or some group of authority who needs this or that personal information from you because if you don't give it to them, they will be forced to shut down your bank account, etc etc. No! These are criminals. Never never never give money or personal information to strangers over the phone. If someone calls claiming to be your bank or credit union or whatever - politely thank them and say you will have to hang up and call your bank personally to verify what you are being told is true. They don't count on people to do this and try to use fear and threats to get your money and personal information.
If you thought that the danger ends there - no, my friends...my apologies, there are other dangers. When you begin to give to charities, one of the (fortunate/unfortunate?) side effects is that you will start to get MASSIVE amounts of solicitations from other charities in your mail. It can become almost comical how many envelopes you will start to get every week from charities - some that you have never heard of or even donated to.
Some charity solicitations will be secular in nature - that is, they help others but do not preach salvation through Jesus Christ or try to reach out to others with the gospel(Holy Bible). Some charities are Christian in nature, or based on other faiths. It will be up to you to decide who you want to give to.
I would like to note that just because a charity is secular does not make it a bad charity. A good example is Feeding America. Feeding America's mission statement is:
Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of more than 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs, we helped provide 6.6 billion meals to tens of millions of people in need last year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; brings attention to the social and systemic barriers that contribute to food insecurity in our nation; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry.
If you check Feeding America's Charity Navigator profile at https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/363673599 you will see it gets an EXCEPTIONAL 4 star rating with almost 100% of its proceeds going to its stated mission goal. This is an incredible rating and means that this secular charity is doing a lot to help those in need in the world.
Charity Navigator is an online resource you can use to look up charities to check their trustworthiness. The BBB (Better Business Bureau) is another. Sometimes some new or small charities will not have profiles - but this does not necessarily mean they are bad or not legitimate. Do your homework. Research the names of companies online before you give - and don't just trust the first thing you read on the internet. The internet is the devil's playground and you will have to navigate it with spiritual eyes to discern if there is an evil force trying to dissuade you from giving to a good charity or if the charity in question is a fraud or a weak charity that misspends most of its donations.
I try to give to charities that also try to bring the gospel and salvation to others while helping with charity because I believe it is paramount that people learn about Jesus Christ and what He did for all of us and how He can improve our lives - because from my own personal experiences He has done more than anyone ever has in my life to help lift me back onto my feet when I was in a bad place. So I believe that although the charity people receive is necessary and important, I believe it is also very important that people learn about sin, how being a slave to sin will wreck and decimate one's life because they are choosing to live in rebellion against God's rules, and how repenting of that past disobedience and submitting to Christ Jesus as savior and Lord can help to get one back on the road to recovery. In other words - the act of charity helps the individual when they are in a bad way and need the help - but it is the teaching and learning about Jesus Christ that enlightens the individual and helps to get them back on their feet and hopefully, eventually - into a place where they will be able to make a come-back from being in such a bad way and through Christ's sacrifice can come into having a relationship with the LORD and over time being blessed with being put into a better situation, be it financially, or what have you, so that they will eventually no longer need charity and can perhaps even start helping by giving back to charities as well. Still, there is nothing wrong with giving to both secular and faith based charities at the same time if you can swing it. I'm sure the LORD will appreciate every little bit you are willing to give to help out His children.
A full fursuit often costs anywhere from $2,000 to $3,500 or more.
Now I will try to tie this journal in with the furry community by bringing to attention the fact that a large amount of money is spent on furry art commissions and fursuit commissions. I have been guilty of doing this prior to giving my life over to Christ Jesus. I had in the past commissioned a number of art pieces of my character - not all of them family friendly in content. I also have a fursuit that I commissioned quite some time ago - and even then If I recall correctly it cost me upwards of around $2,000 or thereabouts. This is a lot of money that could go towards good causes. I am not suggesting that a furry Christian never treat themselves to a commission, be it art or a suit to run around in if desired - but we as Christian servants should certainly be putting our job duties to the Lord first. If we are ignoring the call to help others with tithing and charity because we are too focused on getting all sorts of fancy commissions, we are giving in to the sin of greed and pride. Let us not become too swept up in the material world which is full of sin and selfishness. As servants of Christ Jesus let us think first of those in need before we begin to think of ourselves. It is one thing to save up bit by bit over time for a once in awhile commission treat. It is another to become so enamored in one's furry persona that we begin to ignore and turn away from having a generous spirit in order to glorify ourselves through idealized art of our characters. As of this writing, I have only commissioned one art piece of my character since having given my life over to Christ Jesus around five years ago. Perhaps I might commission some more art as time goes on - we'll see...but for the time being I have been busy trying to function as my Lord Jesus' servant in giving to others and mentoring others in how to follow in Jesus Christ's footsteps.
Another possibility is donating your time to being in service to our Lord Jesus Christ. Whether by studying the gospel and trying to mentor others or by volunteering to help at a food bank or by working for a charity organization, you can make a difference in a way that is helping advance the LORD's kingdom and helping His children even if you are unable to give financial support to charities. Whether you give of your wages or your time, our Lord Jesus Christ appreciates that you are willing to sacrifice to help out others in need.
In closing I would just like to say that although spending money on ourselves for furry art or fursuits can give us temporary happiness, these actions do not generally do anything to give grace and recognition to the LORD. We commission art and fursuits because as furries, it's what brings us happiness while being in the material world. We realize we can get attention from it. Other furries will recognize us if we put out more art of our characters or have a fursuit that shows up in pictures at conventions. I won't lie - running around in a fursuit can be a lot of fun! But as His servants we ought to be reminded that we are not subjects of this fallen kingdom - we are only temporary visitors who have been put here and who have recognized why we are here - to do the LORD's will and help out others before we are eventually called back to our true home, the Divine Kingdom of the LORD. It is there that we will spend our eternity - and eternity is a pretty long time! So let us remember as holy servants of our Lord Jesus Christ that we only have a limited amount of time to bring glory to God by doing these acts of mercy and compassion. Each day we live could be our last day. Let's make it count!
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19-21
Wise advice to live by.
Greetings friends.
Today I will write to you on charity and tithing, and why both of these acts are important in the life of a good Christian servant.
Charity is extremely important as noted in Christian gospel and understanding. The two main reasons for this is that we are all made in the LORD's image - we all have precious value and worth to the LORD. The second reason is that Christians understand that all the earnings and property they acquire in life is given to them by the LORD. We come into this world free of possessions and it is how we will go out of this world. Christians are taught to understand that everything you own - your car, your house, your clothes, your money, it's all on loan to you from the LORD and as a good servant of the Lord Jesus Christ you are expected to make use of these resources when applicable in order to help those who are in need, essentially helping to further the LORD's kingdom through kindness and charity and the spreading of the gospel and knowledge of His presence through these acts.
A churchmouse and churchmouse wife from Disney's Robin Hood.
Scene depicting the churchmouses' wife donating their meager savings to the destitute church being run by Friar Tuck.
Tithing to your local church is an act that not only supports your church and the good that it does for the community, but is also an act of faith on your part where you are demonstrating to the LORD that you have an understanding that everything you have made monetarily for that week or month was given to you by Him, and you are showing your faith and submission to the LORD by giving a percentage back to Him. Christians do this because they know that the LORD will continue to bless them with work, wages, and His protection and blessings by showing generosity. These two acts - charity and tithing are also a spiritual method to combat one of the seven deadly sins, greed. By making it a habit of giving a portion of your paycheck to your church and perhaps a monthly donation to a charity of your choice - you are ensuring that your "Charity Muscle" stays healthy and strong. One who gives regularly will continue to give regularly if they have the means to do so. One who gives rarely despite abundance will, most likely continue on in only giving on rare occasions.
How much should one tithe? A lot of Christians go by the 1/10 of your earnings rule. So for example if you were to make $500 in one week - you would tithe $50 to your church that week. You should still try to give to charities even while you tithe to your church. Try not to develop a mindset of 'Well I did one, so I don't have to do the other'. If you have the means to give to both areas, do so. Our Lord Jesus will understand if you are only able to give so much due to bills and obligations, but do be careful. He can look into our hearts and know whether you are being honest in only having a little to give or if you are choosing to hold onto what you are given without giving back.
There is a good example given in The Holy Bible where our Lord Jesus Christ shows that sometimes, giving less than others can easily mean that we are giving more. See Mark 12:42-44:
'But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”'
This is a beautiful example of having faith in the LORD even if you are not blessed with abundance. A poor widow - considered an extremely vulnerable class during biblical times comes and donates a small amount - but a small amount that is a large amount of what she has to offer. It is far, far less of a donation compared to what others were giving, however our Lord Jesus recognizes the incredible trust and faith and compassion that the poor widow has in giving what little she has to help others when one could argue that she would benefit from help herself. So even if you have not been blessed with abundance, it is still possible to show faithfulness to our LORD by giving even just a little, when we can.
Let's look at some bible verses that discuss the importance of helping others through charity.
The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives. Psalm 37:21
He who gives to the poor will never want, But he who shuts his eyes will have many curses. Proverbs 28:27
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Matthew 19:21
He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. Ephesians 4:28
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7
These are just a few moments from The Holy Bible that speak of the importance of having a giving heart. I highly advise my readers to read The Holy Bible, as I often do. There is so much wisdom within it - and if you incorporate that wisdom into your heart and mind and life, you will have intelligence and understanding beyond your years.
The 2 Corinthians 9:7 verse highlights a very importance aspect when giving. We must try not to give with an internal feeling of 'I'm only doing this because I HAVE to. I would rather keep it but, ...oh well." NO! We must not think this way my brothers and sisters. Although I believe the LORD would rather have you giving something as opposed to not giving at all - He wants us to give with a spirit of love and humility, out of a desire to make a sacrifice of having a little less money because we understand that as His servants we have been tasked with being in service to the rest of His children. This is what the verse means by our Lord loving a cheerful giver. Give with happiness in knowing that your charitable donation is going to lift someone up in a way that they would not have been able to do themselves. By committing to acts of charity you are entering into the chess-board battlefield of good vs. evil in this fallen world by selflessly laboring at your job for wages in order to help and protect others who are weak and vulnerable and in need of assistance.
To my young Christian lambs in training or those who are considering joining yourselves in service to the LORD and His Son our savior - let me add to all this advice a stern warning:
There are many wolves that are in this world that understand that there are people like you and I who are willing to give of our labor and dollars in order to help others. These predators prey on charitable hearts by setting up fake charities seeking donations - sometimes elaborately written with very convincing names or web pages in order to secure your confidence and dollars. As if this was not bad enough, there are also some charities who stretch the definition of charity organization because they spend half or more of the donations they receive on administration(salaries within their company) as well as advertising (to pull in more dollars). Some "charities" rake in massive amounts of donations because they spend equally massive amounts on advertising their charity, with the end result being only a fraction of what comes in going to the mission goal that their charity focuses on. One could argue 'But aren't people still being helped in such instances?" Well, yes, technically speaking. But the CEO and higher ups in these "charities" are helping themselves to the majority of the donations rather then putting that money to work for the LORD. It's a grift, and it's legal for them to do. The onus is on you, the young Christian - to research what charities you would like to help out with your hard earned dollars. It's much better to donate to a charity that puts the majority of its donations to its stated goals rather then to reward a CEO and higher ups of a company because they have the means($$) and the motive (greed) to use a charity to live the high life.
Some helpful tips:
NEVER give to "charities" or "organizations" that call you up over your phone. "The National Policeman's fund", "The National Firefighter's fund for disabled Firefighters', "The Global Alliance for Muscular Dystrophy Advancement" ...etc. Most often when these calls come in over the phone it is by means of robo-dialers that use an advanced AI to "talk" to you. It's not even a real person but these AI are programmed so well that it will seem extremely likely that it is a real person on the other end. They call you to solicit a donation to help replace equipment for beleaguered police officers or firefighters, or to advance research for some specific disease, etc. IF you do a bit of research on the names of these groups that call you - you will find out that 99% of the time these are POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEES (PACS) - NOT 501c3 nonprofits/charities. They are PACS because there is much less scrutiny/legal rules for PACS to follow when soliciting donations. They can tell you just about whatever they want - how your donation will help X cause - and they will then turn around and use 90% or more of your donation to paying out whoever is running that PAC, along with whatever political methods and goals that PAC is aiming for. Oh, certainly, they will give 3-5% (or something like that) to the charity/goal they told you they are calling you about over the phone - but do you see the method here? They use the concept of charity to raise massive amounts of money that they use for reasons they never disclose to you, and only give a tiny fraction of the donations to the area they mention to you to protect themselves legally.
NEVER GIVE MONEY to anyone who calls you over the phone. They call you instead of mailing you because it costs them way less this way and because they know they can play on your emotions and good will and use the above deception to get money out of you. You think you are giving to a good cause but you are really giving to a PAC who will use the money however they wish - and that's if it isn't someone who is outright a scammer/criminal group outright scamming individuals. A lot of the elderly fall victim to these phone calls and other "phishing" attempts where people will call you claiming to be your bank, your credit card company, or some group of authority who needs this or that personal information from you because if you don't give it to them, they will be forced to shut down your bank account, etc etc. No! These are criminals. Never never never give money or personal information to strangers over the phone. If someone calls claiming to be your bank or credit union or whatever - politely thank them and say you will have to hang up and call your bank personally to verify what you are being told is true. They don't count on people to do this and try to use fear and threats to get your money and personal information.
If you thought that the danger ends there - no, my friends...my apologies, there are other dangers. When you begin to give to charities, one of the (fortunate/unfortunate?) side effects is that you will start to get MASSIVE amounts of solicitations from other charities in your mail. It can become almost comical how many envelopes you will start to get every week from charities - some that you have never heard of or even donated to.
Some charity solicitations will be secular in nature - that is, they help others but do not preach salvation through Jesus Christ or try to reach out to others with the gospel(Holy Bible). Some charities are Christian in nature, or based on other faiths. It will be up to you to decide who you want to give to.
I would like to note that just because a charity is secular does not make it a bad charity. A good example is Feeding America. Feeding America's mission statement is:
Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of more than 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs, we helped provide 6.6 billion meals to tens of millions of people in need last year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; brings attention to the social and systemic barriers that contribute to food insecurity in our nation; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry.
If you check Feeding America's Charity Navigator profile at https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/363673599 you will see it gets an EXCEPTIONAL 4 star rating with almost 100% of its proceeds going to its stated mission goal. This is an incredible rating and means that this secular charity is doing a lot to help those in need in the world.
Charity Navigator is an online resource you can use to look up charities to check their trustworthiness. The BBB (Better Business Bureau) is another. Sometimes some new or small charities will not have profiles - but this does not necessarily mean they are bad or not legitimate. Do your homework. Research the names of companies online before you give - and don't just trust the first thing you read on the internet. The internet is the devil's playground and you will have to navigate it with spiritual eyes to discern if there is an evil force trying to dissuade you from giving to a good charity or if the charity in question is a fraud or a weak charity that misspends most of its donations.
I try to give to charities that also try to bring the gospel and salvation to others while helping with charity because I believe it is paramount that people learn about Jesus Christ and what He did for all of us and how He can improve our lives - because from my own personal experiences He has done more than anyone ever has in my life to help lift me back onto my feet when I was in a bad place. So I believe that although the charity people receive is necessary and important, I believe it is also very important that people learn about sin, how being a slave to sin will wreck and decimate one's life because they are choosing to live in rebellion against God's rules, and how repenting of that past disobedience and submitting to Christ Jesus as savior and Lord can help to get one back on the road to recovery. In other words - the act of charity helps the individual when they are in a bad way and need the help - but it is the teaching and learning about Jesus Christ that enlightens the individual and helps to get them back on their feet and hopefully, eventually - into a place where they will be able to make a come-back from being in such a bad way and through Christ's sacrifice can come into having a relationship with the LORD and over time being blessed with being put into a better situation, be it financially, or what have you, so that they will eventually no longer need charity and can perhaps even start helping by giving back to charities as well. Still, there is nothing wrong with giving to both secular and faith based charities at the same time if you can swing it. I'm sure the LORD will appreciate every little bit you are willing to give to help out His children.
A full fursuit often costs anywhere from $2,000 to $3,500 or more.
Now I will try to tie this journal in with the furry community by bringing to attention the fact that a large amount of money is spent on furry art commissions and fursuit commissions. I have been guilty of doing this prior to giving my life over to Christ Jesus. I had in the past commissioned a number of art pieces of my character - not all of them family friendly in content. I also have a fursuit that I commissioned quite some time ago - and even then If I recall correctly it cost me upwards of around $2,000 or thereabouts. This is a lot of money that could go towards good causes. I am not suggesting that a furry Christian never treat themselves to a commission, be it art or a suit to run around in if desired - but we as Christian servants should certainly be putting our job duties to the Lord first. If we are ignoring the call to help others with tithing and charity because we are too focused on getting all sorts of fancy commissions, we are giving in to the sin of greed and pride. Let us not become too swept up in the material world which is full of sin and selfishness. As servants of Christ Jesus let us think first of those in need before we begin to think of ourselves. It is one thing to save up bit by bit over time for a once in awhile commission treat. It is another to become so enamored in one's furry persona that we begin to ignore and turn away from having a generous spirit in order to glorify ourselves through idealized art of our characters. As of this writing, I have only commissioned one art piece of my character since having given my life over to Christ Jesus around five years ago. Perhaps I might commission some more art as time goes on - we'll see...but for the time being I have been busy trying to function as my Lord Jesus' servant in giving to others and mentoring others in how to follow in Jesus Christ's footsteps.
Another possibility is donating your time to being in service to our Lord Jesus Christ. Whether by studying the gospel and trying to mentor others or by volunteering to help at a food bank or by working for a charity organization, you can make a difference in a way that is helping advance the LORD's kingdom and helping His children even if you are unable to give financial support to charities. Whether you give of your wages or your time, our Lord Jesus Christ appreciates that you are willing to sacrifice to help out others in need.
In closing I would just like to say that although spending money on ourselves for furry art or fursuits can give us temporary happiness, these actions do not generally do anything to give grace and recognition to the LORD. We commission art and fursuits because as furries, it's what brings us happiness while being in the material world. We realize we can get attention from it. Other furries will recognize us if we put out more art of our characters or have a fursuit that shows up in pictures at conventions. I won't lie - running around in a fursuit can be a lot of fun! But as His servants we ought to be reminded that we are not subjects of this fallen kingdom - we are only temporary visitors who have been put here and who have recognized why we are here - to do the LORD's will and help out others before we are eventually called back to our true home, the Divine Kingdom of the LORD. It is there that we will spend our eternity - and eternity is a pretty long time! So let us remember as holy servants of our Lord Jesus Christ that we only have a limited amount of time to bring glory to God by doing these acts of mercy and compassion. Each day we live could be our last day. Let's make it count!
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19-21
Wise advice to live by.
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I remember seeing one on Youtube ; it's pretty popular and there have a lot of churchgoers. The pastor was motivating the churchgoers to give generously, to... build an awesome church with huge rooms ; he'd describe it making it look like God liked great and luxurious buildings.
I also looked up their office, it was on the most expensive street in Paris (Champs-Elysées), probaly with a heavy rent to pay.
I didn't follow their Youtube channel after this, they had wrong priorities imo.