The season of Advent is upon us. In the last few days, you may have been inundated with ads for Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping deals. To help swing our collective focus away from consumerism and towards charity, tomorrow is Giving Tuesday. 

For Jesus’ church, it goes without saying that every Tuesday (or any day of the week really) is Giving Tuesday. Jesus reminds us we are to serve, not be served. We are called to give rather than receive (which paradoxically leads us to receiving unexpected blessings through the giving). 

Giving tomorrow is great. There are many causes and charities that are worthy of your financial resources. However, beyond Tuesday, let’s be mindful of how we can continue to give not just to those worthwhile organizations but also to places and individuals who don’t offer tax receipts. Maybe it’s something each of us considers individually. Perhaps it’s something worth discussing within your youth group … and then following through with it. 

“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”  

– Paul (Acts 20:35 NIV)