That is what makes giving such a difficult matter. It puts us in the middle of a big conflict. All over the world there is strong pressure to be rich: or at least to own many of the possessions that modern life can provide. It does not matter whether we are rich or poor. Both rich and poor can set their hopes on getting more money or more possessions. Even in poor communities the same tension is present.

We can desire wealth and possessions because we think they will give us a more satisfying life - or perhaps because we think they will make our life more secure. The advertising we see and hear every day urges us to believe this. But Christians already know that their life comes from God and doesn’t consist in their possessions. And we know we can trust God to meet all our needs.

Trusting God like this will not stop us from working hard. It does not stop us from helping the poor improve their living conditions. But it does clarify who our God is. Trusting God for our material needs allows us to give generously. It frees us from having to keep all our money and possessions for ourselves. It helps both poor and rich share what they have.

It is important to look at the biblical ideas about giving because some people ignore them altogether while others focus on just one idea. It is surprising how many of our ideas come from Christian tradition rather than from the Bible.

And the surprising summary word from the Old Testament? Not tithing but generosity. And the key New Testament idea? Generosity.

Dale