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The path of comfort and convenience—or commitment and compassion. Which will you choose? From Ruth’s story, discover which path leads to temporary happiness and which path leads to life.

Today’s readings come from Proverbs 4:10-19, Matthew 26:31-46, Exodus 4:1-6:12

2 Corinthians 8:9

You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.

The Christian life is, before anything else, characterised by giving, and the reason for this is that it’s how Jesus lived. As we follow in his footsteps, our lives need to be shaped by giving generously. His generosity was so complete that he gave everything and became totally poor in order to make other people rich. This is a huge challenge to all of us in a society that is deeply acquisitive. The assumption is that life is found in acquiring more and more, but Jesus turns that thinking completely on its head.

There is an old proverb which runs: “He who takes but never gives, may last for years but never lives.” That’s a scary thought and should redouble our determination to work out how we should go about our giving. We need to find a deeper understanding of where our money and resources come from. When we realise that it’s all from God’s hands, it becomes obvious that our relationship with our money is that of steward. We brought nothing into this world and we will take nothing out. Our role is to be God’s stewards, so we need to look after our resources in a way that will please him.

In the 15th century, Thomas a Kempis wrote [itals]The Imitation of Christ[end itals] in Latin. It has been in print ever since and reminds us of the fundamental responsibility that we all have to use the life of Christ as a pattern for our lives. No one has ever been more fully alive than Jesus, and as we learn how to give generously, we will discover more and more of what it means to be truly alive.

Question

Jesus is the ultimate example of generous giving, but think of someone in whose life you have seen enormous generosity. What have you learned from them?

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, help me to walk in your footsteps today and to become increasingly generous to others. Amen

Julie Lyles Carr introduces a new God on the Go podcast series all about sibling relationships, why sibling bonds matter so much and what the Bible teaches us through them. The series looks at well-known biblical siblings—like Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, and Mary, Martha, and Lazarus—showing both the struggles and the blessings of these relationships.

Today’s readings come from Psalm 19:1-6, Matthew 26:1-30, Exodus 1, 2 and 3

2 Corinthians 8:7

Since you excel in so many ways – in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us – I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.

This is a remarkable verse. The two letters that Paul wrote to the church in Corinth lift the lid on a community which was very divided and disorganised in its worship, and in which there were serious disciplinary issues that hadn’t been addressed. However, Paul was able to come up with a long list of their good qualities! I love how encouraging he was to them. It’s easy for any of us to become overwhelmed by the failures of people and churches. It would be a good exercise to think about the most annoying person that you know and write down a list of their positive characteristics. If we concentrate too much on people’s shortcomings, the danger is that we will miss their finer qualities, and our relationship with them will never stand a chance. In just the same way, if we only look at a church’s weaknesses, we may totally overlook the ways in which God has blessed it.

Paul drew attention to the Corinthian church’s great qualities because he wanted to encourage them to be great at giving as well. He was eager for them to make a significant contribution to the collection that he was taking up for the Christians in Judea, who had suffered a major famine. He pointed to the example of the believers in Macedonia who, even though they were very poor, had been incredibly generous. He didn’t want the Corinthians to miss out on the blessing of being generous as well. Because of his love for them, he didn’t want them merely to be good at giving – he wanted them to excel.

If we love people, we are not going to be content with them merely doing well. We will want them to be and to do the best. Let’s keep that thought alive in our minds today as we meet people.

Question

What do you learn from the way in which Paul encouraged the Corinthians to give?

Prayer

Lord God, I thank you that you love me so much that you want me to be the best for you today. Amen

1) What are the signs of the coming last days?2) What is Matthew teaching in chapter 24 when he says "two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left…”?3) What is the biblical teaching on abortion?4) Since God created Satan and men who he knew would rebel, how can they be held responsible?5) Does the fruit mentioned in John 15:16 refer to saved souls or evidence of fruit of the spirit?6) Do we have an obligation to witness?