Often books and speakers tell Christians that they should help the needy because they have so much. That is, of course, quite true. Common sense tells us that, if human beings are to live together on the planet, there should be a constant sharing of resources.
But this approach is very limited in its motivating power. Ultimately it produces guilt….Soon, with an anxious weariness, we turn away from books or speakers who simply make us feel guilty about the needy.
The Bible does not use the guilt-producing motivation, yet it powerfully argues for the ministry of mercy….Mercy is spontaneous, superabounding love which comes from an experience of the grace of God. The deeper the experience of the free grace of God, the more generous we must become. This is why Robert Murray M’Cheyne could say: “There are many hearing me now know well that they are not Christians because they do not love to give. To give largely and liberally, not grudging at all, requires a new heart.”
