Generosity & Giving
By Earl Oliver
We’ve all heard Christ’s statement, recorded in the book of Acts, that, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) And sometimes, in our more private thoughts, we’ve responded, “Well, that’s not been my experience.” Maybe we’ve misunderstood “blessed” and maybe we just disagree with Christ, Himself. (…a truly frightening thought!)
Well, if we read our Bible’s at all, there’s no doubt that giving is strongly encouraged in the Scriptures. And whenever we find ourselves questioning or disagreeing with something clearly taught in the Bible, we should hit pause. Even when we don’t understand all of the reasoning or purpose of some biblical commands, we need to stop and remember Who gave the command, and that should begin to settle the issue for us.
For an example, with a different command, I remember talking with a man who confessed to me that though the Bible commands him to “love his wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her,” he just couldn’t bring himself to love her. In fact, at that point, he didn’t even like her. What was he to do? Well, I suggested he first review three questions or thoughts:
Is God good and always seeking the best for us? …if so,
Did God command you to love your wife?
Then, somehow, loving your wife must be good.
Something can be good and godly without a person necessarily “liking” it or fully understanding it. Maybe, just maybe, God’s definitions and standards are a bit different from ours. Maybe love, in this situation, can also be understood less as a romantic feeling, and more as seeking the best for the other, even when they don’t seem to deserve it, which we can do without even liking a person. And maybe doing this for the Lord is all the “good” we need to be concerned with. It should make me glad to put a smile on God’s face even if, for the moment, it doesn’t particularly make me happy. He might just know a bit more than I.
So, for our topic today, if God says give, we really don’t need to decide if we should or not, only how and how much. Here are some thoughts to consider.
Are we financially well-off enough to give? Well, if I compare myself with most American’s, I’m not very well-off. Most of us are probably somewhere in the middle-class. But if I compare myself with much of the rest of the world, we’re quite rich. We need to keep that in mind to maintain proper gratitude and willingness to give.
On one of my teaching trips to Liberia, I witnessed people with nearly nothing, give what they could with great joy. I was in a conversation with some of the very poor young African men. One of them asked me how much they could make if they were in America. This was many years ago, and at that time the basic income for unskilled, inexperienced workers was around $10 per hour. When they heard that they all expressed exuberance about how much that was. “We’d be rich!”
Then I outlined a modest amount that they would need for some kind of rent, for a used car, for gas, basic maintenance, insurance, a budget for food, clothing, utilities, etc. As they totaled these “modest” estimates, they hung their heads and said, “Then $10 and hour isn’t enough.” I smiled and agreed. They realized what we sometimes forget; context influences values.
So, if most of us are all pretty well off by our world’s standards, how do we determine how much we should give? The Bible clearly says that it’s an individual decision, but based on some very important perspectives.
Proportionately, or by Percentage - I Cor. 16:2, give, “as you may prosper,” Acts 11:29, “in the proportion that any of the disciples had means,” II Cor. 8:3, “according to their ability.” So, rather than trying to determine a fixed amount to give occasionally or on a regular basis, set a percentage to give that allows the flexibility for your giving to grow or shrink as your income grows or shrinks. If the percentage you set between you and the Lord eventually becomes an uncomfortably large amount of money each month, one possible solution for that “problem” is to pray that God would reduce your income back to a lower level so you wouldn’t have to be giving quite so much. (No?...I didn’t think so.)
According to the Needs – Acts 2:45 “as anyone might have need” The definition of “needs” seems to grow larger every year in our culture. We shouldn’t let society dictate our understanding of “need.” Scripture describes needs as food and coverings, which I understand as including both clothing and some shelter. Of course, we can give to things beyond that, but those are basic biblical needs.
With Contentment – We might object because we have limited means. But having limited means is a matter of perspective. Even if you were a billionaire, you would still have “limited means.” For example, if I asked you how much more would you like? The common answer would be, “A little more.” And how much more might a billionaire like? Same answer, “A little more.” So, what does God’s Word say about contentment?
Phil. 4:11-13 – Paul tells us…
“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”Heb. 13:5 – Don’t love or hate money
“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”1 Tim. 6:6-8 – Godliness + Contentment = Huge profit
“Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.”
Years ago when I was struggling with contentment to live on the income I was receiving, I prayed that God would make me grateful and keep me from either greed or selfishness. After praying, a thought came to mind (probably from the One I was praying to) that maybe I could moderate my struggling dissatisfaction by thinking of someone in my life or in our church who was poorer than we were and send them an anonymous monetary gift. I never really felt that I could afford to do that, but every time I did it, I felt more joy than dissatisfaction, recaptured my contentment and was able to keep my emergent greed or envy at bay. It helped me keep a loose grasp on what I have and growing generosity and gratitude for all.
These days, it seems that the more our government and society provide free stuff for us, the more we begin to expect it. An entitlement mentality is developing in our culture that robs us of gratitude and contentment, and the willingness to work hard. The truth is, we only value what we have to work for.
Think about it this way. If someone came up to your door at exactly 5:00 p.m. one day and without any comment, handed you a $100 bill, then left, you might be surprised, but certainly thankful. Then if on the next day the same person knocked on your door again at exactly 5:00 p.m., and without comment, handed you another $100 bill, you might be a bit more excited but even more puzzled. Then if that same thing happened every day for the next month, you would really become excited, and by the end of the month you would have collected about $3,000 so you would make sure to be home the next day right at 5:00 p.m., watching at the door, anticipating another $100.
That’s when we begin to realize the danger of getting too much of what we don’t work for.
On day 31, you would be standing near the front door at 5:00 p.m., anticipating a knock and another $100. But then, to your surprise, you see the same guy you had greeted every day for the past month walking up to your neighbor’s door with a $100 bill.
As you watch him going up to your neighbor’s door, how would you react inside? Honestly, would you be grateful and excited for your neighbor? Would you thank the Lord for their good fortune, or would you feel a bit jilted and robbed? Entitlement destroys gratefulness.
So, what does it mean to be generous? Generally speaking, it is giving from your 3 “T’s” as you have opportunity. Here we’re talking primarily about money (Treasure) here, but all of our resources are to be considered; Time, Treasure and Talent. I need to give some of my money to the Lord and for His work, but I also need to give some of my Time (which may feel even more limited) and my talents or abilities to show gratefulness to the Lord for all He’s blessed me with.
These are just a few thoughts about giving. Other topics such as spending, budgeting, borrowing, investing, loaning, etc. are subjects for another time. For today, I’m more interested in sharing what the Bible says about giving rather than just my limited understanding and experiences with it.
The Bible says more about money than almost any other topic, and speaks a lot about giving & generosity with money. If you’re really interested in what God’s Word has to say about this subject, study the following principles and look up all of the references. Your life will be richer in all the best ways as you do
May your heart and your life be enriched in all of the best ways as you follow Him and His Word.
REFLECTION
Review the Principles of Giving resource created by Earl.
Be honest with yourself, do you prioritize generosity? How so?
What are some specific ways you could be more generous? Write them down.
Challenge: Consider what it would look like for you to give regularly to the church. Keep in mind all of the principles listed in the article and make a plan for how you can give and be generous.