At this time of giving...

Did you have a lovely Christmas day? Were you reminded afresh of the mind-blowing story of God made man? Did you experience once more the excitement of the gospel of salvation as you sat alongside your brothers and sisters in Christ and listened to the nativity retold? Did you eat a beautiful meal? Enjoy the company of some family or friends? Rip open some presents that brought a smile to your face? Sit, safely, in your home - warm and comfortable?

If so, you - like me - are astonishingly privileged. To be a child of God is an incredible grace. To be able to live and worship in safety, indulge in a spot of luxury as well - such things are not to be taken for granted in our fallen world. So, as you sit and digest that extra mince pie (or, my particular weakness, that 7th piece of turkish delight) it's worth pondering how best to respond to the many gifts that have been showered on us.

Historically in the UK (and many other countries besides) December 26th was the day when the rich gave to the poor. Rich landowners bestowed some small favour on their servants - young and old. Such social structures are (thankfully) not quite what they were. But it's still not a bad idea to use today to think about our giving. As Christians we are warned of the dangers of loving money (1Timothy 6:10) and hoarding possessions at the expense of spiritual richness (Luke 12:13-21). Instead we are called to give cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:6-7) and humbly (Matthew 6:1-4) to gospel work (1 Corinthians 16:1-2) and, if we are to follow the example of the Good Samaritan, to the relief of suffering (Luke 10:25-37). And to make such giving a lifestyle not just a token gesture.

So why not take a moment now to thank God for the many things we have received - spiritual and practical? And ask him to give us an increasingly generous heart. We might even like to review our giving to our church or pray about starting a standing order to a charity whose work we know to be honouring the God in our locality or further afield.