Eric Reece
The beginning of the year is a time many take stock of their finances.
Last year was a volatile year and this coming year, inflation does not seem to be losing any steam.
I remember having conversations with friends talking about having, “More month than money.”
In his famous sermon entitled, “The Use of Money” (Luke 16:9) the Rev. John Wesley had three points:
* Earn all you can;
* Save all you can;
* Give all you can.
Later in life, he wrote folks were good on the first point, not so good on the second and needed work on the third.
The sermon stressed the importance of managing what we have been given by God.
Some time ago, I spoke with a Rabbi who reminded me of the work of the Jewish philosopher Maimonides, this 12th century scholar of the Hebrew scriptures is still studied today. His writings included teaching on the Hebrew laws concerning charity, or “Tzedakah.”
He lists eight levels of charitable giving, with the first being the preferred and the eighth the least:
* Form a partnership with someone in need. This could result in a grant, interest free loan or helping the person find work. The goal is to help the person become self-sufficient. This could be a micro-loan to start a business, or help with transportation to work. This is similar to Asset-Based Community Development, where you help someone by helping them see what they have and not concentrate on what they do not have;
* Give anonymously to someone or a trustworthy organization who can put your gift to good use;
* Give anonymously to someone you know;
* Give anonymously to someone you don’t know;
* Give before being asked;
* Give adequately after being asked;
* Give willingly, even if you cannot give a lot;
* Give out of pity or feelings of obligation.
Simply put, giving unwillingly does more harm than good.
As we hope for a healthy and prosperous year, if you need help with budgeting, financial counseling or have tax questions there are two organizations in the area that help.
Contact OnTrack Financial Education & Counseling: (828) 255-5166, info@ontrackwnc.org; or Zacchaeus Financial Counseling, Inc. (866) 862-2220, contact@zacchaeusfinancial.org.
Eric Reece is the faith columnist for The Graham Star. He is the pastor of Robbinsville United Methodist Church and can be reached via email, ereece@wnccumc.net.