Giving Back

Psalm 50 talks about heart giving not things giving. Throughout history this is all God has really wanted - hearts given over to love.

Yesterday I heard that Cadbury - the UK chocolate giant - are turning over some of their production to Fair Trade. This means that they will guarantee farmers a minimum, living, wage instead of simply paying the market rate which may be high but may be below their actual production cost.

This made me happy - although I wondered cynically whether there was a financial kick-back but I hope this decision was made for heart reasons at the end of the day.

God says that we cannot give back to Him anything he does not already have and so to think that somehoe we are performing some great act of justice or mercy by handing over what already belong's to God is an error. But what God gives us is a choice in how we live, a choice which includes the material but also extends far beyond it - perhaps one of the most critical areas that faces our world is interpersonal relationships - how I negotiate what I want and how much it costs someone else for me to have it.

The Gospel clearly says Jesus is offering salvation not condemnation - in our own lives do we do the same? Does the way we live, consume and act really bring freedom and life to the world or do we trim around the edges and give our little pieces to God?