I once heard a man being interviewed on TV who had just won the lottery and had generously given most of the money to his local church and other charities. And while I commend his generosity, gambling is fraught with anger, because it can become addictive and will often pauperise the gambling addict. At the same time the chances of “winning” are extremely small (i.e. 42 million to one) and the money spent on buying tickets could be saved and over time may be used for buying something that you really want, or be generously given away. And in reality, whether we have little or much, we are all only stewards of God's many generous gifts to us, and one day we will have to given an account of what we have done with what we were given.

David recognised that his growing prosperity was given to him by God, and so used it for the benefit of the whole nation, and thus they all prospered together. Later kings were not as generous, and while they were “richer” than David, the whole nation was often poorer and also often weaker. Now, we might think that because we are not rich, that we cannot give much to God or his people. But God has given us far more than money; he has given us time, strength, talents, influence, experience and love. All of these and much more can be given back to God and used to bring blessing to others. What can we offer of our prosperity for the sake of our people?

Love & prayers, Rev. Dave.

Lectionary Readings: (12^th July, 2009)

2 Samuel 6: 1-5 & 12-19; Psalm 24; Mark 6: 14-29; Ephesians 1: 3-14