Why Christians give

Being a disciple on the Rule of Life comes with a call to give. That is easy to say but it's not so easy to do.  We all start from different places and have different challenges, obstacles, and hurdles to overcome. 

The Bible gives us a story of harvest in ancient Israel. In this story we see the ancient people give to God a basket of produce from that harvest. They did this to remind them that the land and its crops are the gift of God, a gift they didn't earn or deserve. Using that knowledge the people of God wanted to say thanks for the gift. They would use this basket of produce to remind themselves that the harvest was abundant and they should share it generously.  So they would share it with the priest to sustain the ministry. But they would also share it with the poor, the widow and the stranger. 

This is the model that Christians across the world and through the centuries have followed.  It is a model which supports all of us who are sent to give. This course will offer three short resources looking at different Bible stories which help us understand Gift; Gratitude; Generosity from the point of view of three Bible stories.

You can take from this story some interesting detail. Firstly, this took place when the people were on a journey and the giving of each individual became part of the whole story of these people. We travel with others on our Rule Of Life journey as we live and worship together. We do it for ourselves but not by ourselves. And we need to offer the best. Our challenge is how we can offer God our best gifts, talents, time and treasure.

God's gift is always to the community. Good giving sustains good ministry. It will not make peace with injustice nor neglect the landless, poor and vulnerable. If you give you are making a bigger difference in seeing more justice in the world. 

This short course helps you think through your attitude to giving. Our related course - How Christian's Give - offers ideas about how you can respond to this challenge.