Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it… and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the Lord.

But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.

Malachi 1:13-14

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, August 22, 2026 – Giving alms or charity is like offering a sacrifice to God. I mention the connection between charity and sacrifice because it’s important for us on a spiritual level to give charity. And because it’s important, we should know how to do it, not so that it makes us feel good about ourselves, but so that it will be received by God as an acceptable and valuable sacrifice in the spiritual realm, which is the only realm that matters.

“Charity” has been mainstreamed in Western society to mean donating money or goods to a cause. In most cases, the funds or items donated do not in any real way affect the finances of the donor. The donation is made from superfluous wealth or what Jesus calls “abundance” (spare change, old clothes, used furniture, low-cost or nearly expired food, etc.) and is often done in exchange for value-in-kind, like a tax receipt. Charity given from abundance and that does not affect the core finances or wealth of the giver is not worth much in God’s eyes. He sees the gesture, but he doesn’t perceive any real value in the item sacrificed. The value of the sacrifice is crucially important to God: For a sacrifice, God demands a healthy male, unspotted and unblemished, not a weak and sickly thing that would not have survived into adulthood.

Considering the above, what kind of charity do you give? Does it affect your core finances or is it taken from your abundance? Do you request a tax receipt, essentially demanding to get back what you put out, or do you (as Jesus advised) give your alms without fanfare and anonymously, expecting nothing in return (not even a “thank you”)? Do you offer the best of what you have at any given moment, or do you merely cast off what you no longer need?

Recall the example of the old widow in the temple who gave everything she had to live on. Even though her ‘everything’ was but a pittance compared to the donations given by the wealthier donors, Jesus said that what the widow gave was in God’s eyes worth more than all the other donations combined. This is because she gave from her core resources while the others gave from their excess.

Please be advised that this is not an exhortation to immediately sell everything you have and give the proceeds to the poor (though God might in fact ask you to do that some day). Giving charity is an essential feature of being bornagain, but like everything else it needs to be guided by God, which means it needs to be done in his time and in his way. The heartstring-tugging ads showcasing starving African children who can be fed for just 10 dollars a day are not meant for us, knowing that nearly 100% of the donated funds are swallowed up in administrative and advertising costs. When God invites us to give charity, it’s both a test of our obedience and an opportunity to bless someone in a targeted and meaningful way. And being a test, God lets us know not only precisely what we should give, but when and how we should give it.

In a church service a few years ago, I witnessed a young usher pocketing money from the collections plate. I knew that he was new to the congregation (and new to the country), and I was surprised that he’d been asked to collect the donations, as that task usually fell to older, trustworthy church members. I glanced up at the pastor sitting at the altar, but he seemed unaware of the theft. Or if he was aware of it, he didn’t show it. I thought to tell him after the service what I’d seen, but God advised me not to. What I’d witnessed was a test both of the usher and of the pastor and so had nothing to do with me. What it did teach me, though, was not to contribute to the collections plate at that or any other church unless God specifically directs me to.

When we give charity in ways that are not directed by God—that is, as a performative gesture or a social obligation, to be seen and approved by others—we essentially give in vain. Our only reward is the pat we give ourselves on our own back. But when we give alms under God’s direction, our charity bears fruit. No-one but God needs to know what we’ve given, since God is the one who evaluates our gift, allocates who should receive it, and blesses us accordingly. The spiritual value of our charitable sacrifice is not the value the world sets on it. In the spiritual realm, the value of our donation is based on our ready willingness to give what God specifically asks of us, and to give it in God’s way.

Pray to God to guide you in giving charity, knowing that if you give it as directed, you’ll be bountifully blessed.