“He that pities another remembers himself.” —
George Herbert: Jacula Prudentum
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:35-39
If you donate a piece of property valued at over $500, you will have to fill out IRS Form 8283 for a tax deduction. If the gift is valued at over $5,000 or more (excluding publicly-traded securities), you must fill out the Form 8283 including the appraisal summary and have the charity fill out the appropriate section for them too. (IRS laws are subject to change. See your tax provider for more info.)
Donate to Fisher House Foundation (www.fisherhouse.org) that provides “Comfort Homes” on major military and VA medical centers for families to be close to families members who are sick or injured.
“And charity begins at home, And mostly ends where it begins.” — Horace Smith: Horace in London II. Xv
My whole being will exclaim, “Who is like you, O LORD? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.”
Psalm 35:10 (NIV)
“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right. ” — Abraham Lincoln: Second Inaugural Address (1865). This seems to be an unconscious quotation from a letter written July 30, 1838, by John Quincy Adams to Bronso Alcot: “In charity to all mankind, bearing no malice or ill-will to any human being … . “
Volunteer, attend an event, or donate to Responsibility (www.responsibilityonline.org), an organization that seeks to help the children of Tijuana, Mexico who live around the vast municipal garbage dumps and are in desperate need.
Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.
Proverbs 31:9
Medical Teams International (www.medicalteams.org) sends teams of volunteer health professionals for disaster relief and to help those stricken by poverty and conflict around the world. To support them, you can donate or volunteer for one of their health care teams or to be a speaker for the group.
“I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts. ” — John Locke: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding I.3
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:2-5
And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
I Chronicles 28:9
“No sooner said than done, so acts your man of worth.” — Plautus: Asinaria I.iii
If you have given to a charity before, before you donate again, check out the status of the organization. Whether large or small, charitable organizations can undergo changes in their financial status, reporting guidelines, or even mission focus. This ensures that you are giving to an organization that you want to support and that you should support.