Willetton Christian Church

Dt 26:1-11; Hab 3:17-19; Lk 21:1-4.  Tony van Drimmelen.  What makes God’s people consistent givers, in good times and bad?  For ancient Israel, the promise of salvation included the land they were about to possess.  So the offering of the “first fruits” was to remind them of God’s generosity towards them.  The “first-fruits” from the land belonged to the Lord.  What happens, though, in bad times when the produce from the land fails and the livestock are no more?  What happens to the offerings?  Has the promise of salvation changed?  Habakkuk has learnt he can trust God, and with that trust comes great joy (v.18).  In both good times and bad, joy-filled giving doesn’t come from the surplus it comes from the sacrifice.  We explore the kind of joy we have in the gospel that results in sacrificial giving.