I love the way the bible combines bright-eyed idealism with clear-eyed realism
Deuteronomy 15:1-11, TNIV At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to another Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the LORD’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt one of your people owes you. However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you. If anyone is poor among your people in any of the towns of the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: ‘The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,’ so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your people and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward those of your people who are poor and needy in your land.
10 June 2010 Jeff Gill
tags: abundance,
debt,
giving,
money
Merry Christmas, everyone!
I’m sure you were hoping desperately for a family newsletter, being such close friends and all, but if you look closely at this photo, you will understand our year, our family dynamics, probably even our entire life. (This year instead of cards, we are giving an equivalent amount of money to Cymru Community Foodshare.)
20 December 2009 Jeff Gill
tags: giving,
holidays
St Paul the socialist?
‘Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”’ (2 Corinthians 8:13-15, TNIV)
Put that in your pipe and smoke it hard, because that does not fit well at all with typical Western Christianity.
18 November 2009 Jeff Gill
tags: giving,
kingdom of god
The Mustang 4
In 1992 I went on three short mission trips, two to Moscow, Russia and one to Caracas, Venezuela. My Mustang paid for two of them. It wasn’t hard for me to sell the car. What was hard was a few months earlier when I gave the car to God so that he could use it however he wanted.
The reason for a Christian to have stuff is to build the kingdom of God. Stuff can only make me actually happy when I am using it for that reason.
It was hard to give my car to God, but I had more happiness from that decision than I ever had from driving it. I had more benefit from travelling to Russia and Venezuela with the good news of Jesus than I ever had from travelling around my own city in a cool car.
Photo by Jozef Beckley
3 September 2008 Jeff Gill
tags: giving,
kingdom of god