Tag: Sharing

Individual Responsibility, Living in the Image of God

Sharing Things

Living in the Image of God M05S21

The study discusses the message of sharing from Isaiah, John the Baptist, and Apostle Paul to understand that sharing involves sacrificing something to benefit others in need. Sharing means caring for self-interest and the interest of others simultaneously, by recognizing that two or more can benefit from a supply of goods or service, either owned individually or collectively. Consistent with Christ teaching on compassion, a person earns blessing by giving up something to provide for others in need; that is, blessing through sharing by accepting less to accommodate the interest of others. Thus, sharing breeds goodwill because God blesses those that sacrifice something to benefit others in need. Therefore, a person that provides something for people to share has provided them an opportunity to share goodwill. This philosophy of goodwill by sharing is captured by a saying among Ndigbo of Nigeria that he who brings kola brings life. Life comes from sharing kola because of goodwill that comes from each participant accepting less so that others may get a share.

Sharing Things 20:43

This study seeks better understanding that God associates sharing with sacrifice and compassion. Sharing means caring for self-interest and the interest of others simultaneously and often involves accepting less so that others may get a share, from a supply of goods or service owned collectively or individually.

We discuss God’s message regarding sharing from Isaiah, John the Baptist, and Apostle Paul: to understand that God blesses those that share what they have to benefit the interest of others. Sharing is equivalent to sacrificing something in order to provide for the need of others. Therefore, consistent with Christ teaching on compassion, God blesses those that share what they have to benefit others in need.

Sharing breeds goodwill, because people provide mutual opportunities to earn blessing when they share things. Thus, a person that provides something for people to share has provided them an opportunity to share goodwill. This philosophy of goodwill by sharing is captured by a saying among Ndigbo of Nigeria that he who brings kola brings life. Each participant in sharing kola often accepts less so that others may get a share, which means the participants make mutual sacrifice to extend the benefits to others. Life comes from sharing kola because of goodwill that comes from sharing.

Continue reading “Sharing Things” →
Individual Responsibility, Living in the Image of God

Sharing Benefits of Food

Living in the Image of God M05S20

We discuss God’s purpose for food, which includes direct benefits of nourishment of the body and soul to perform functions of living and indirect benefits to others through human interactions. Because the benefits of food can extend to numerous people beyond the person that consumed the food, there are individual responsibilities regarding food consumption and potential blessings by sharing food with others. The responsibilities include appreciation of the human provider and appreciation of God for empowering the human provider and propagating the benefits of food through human interactions. We earn blessings by sharing food because of enabling the recipient to perform their functions of living among a human interactions network.

Sharing Benefits of Food 19:19

This bible study begins with understanding that God granted explicit authority for people to draw food from plants and other animals, with limitations against eating live blood or eating your own kind. His purpose for food includes nourishment of the body and soul to support the functions of living. Through human interactions, others benefit from functions of living performed by the consumer and transmit the benefits to others and chains of more others. The study focuses on understanding that food provides direct benefits to the person that consumed the food and indirect benefits to others through human interactions.

Food provides direct benefits to the consumer and indirect benefits to others that interact with the consumer and those that interact with them. The indirect benefits are reciprocal, in that any given pair of persons benefit from each other’s food consumption through interactions among them. Further, the indirect benefits propagate through the human interactions network because each person in the network transmits benefits of food consumption by self and others through interactions among them.

In human interactions involving two persons A and B, person-A benefits from food consumed by person-B while person-B benefits from food consumed by person-A. Additionally, person-A benefits from person-B due to food consumption by others that previously interacted with person-B; and vice versa. Thus, the benefits of food eaten by a person can propagate through an extensive network of people, because of human interactions among them.

The study discusses the direct and indirect benefits of food, how the indirect benefits propagate through others by human interactions, individual responsibilities regarding food, and earning blessing by providing food to others to enable their functions of living among an expanding human interactions network.

Continue reading “Sharing Benefits of Food” →