Camel-hair shirts and the locust diet.
A long time ago, in a garden overflowing with goodness, a naked young lady was convinced by a talking snake that she wanted more. This lie was an enormous whopper the like of which no-one had ever heard because, in reality, this young lady wanted for nothing. All of her needs were met. But from the moment the lie was heard, she itched for more.
Take a look at 2 Corinthians 9 and you’ll come face to face with some bumper sticker verses: ‘whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly’ (verse 6), ‘God loves a cheerful giver’ (verse 7) and ‘God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work’ (verse 9).
If you weren’t a fan of context you could take these as fuel to fire a prosperity gospel: after all, if we give a big enough offering with a big enough smile we’ll surely end up with a whopping great blessing on our lives, right?
What can it possibly mean to live simply and generously in the 21st Century? One holiday a year instead of two? Susannah Clark explores the Jesus who called us to deny ourselves and follow him.
blogs by the Stewardship team and selected guest writers.
Stewardship is the operating name of Stewardship Services (UKET) Limited. Established in 1906.
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