Defined By Generosity

May 2, 2010
1 Timothy 6:17-19; Luke 6:38

During the past few weeks, we have examined some of the financial challenges facing us as a nation, and we have looked at our own spending, saving, and giving habits. We have examined the biblical principles of financial management, and we have learned about ways to assess our financial situation and develop a financial plan that will allow us to experience the true joy that comes through simplicity and generosity. We continue today in learning how we, as followers of Christ and participants in the kingdom, are defined by generosity.

Tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they'll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19)

What is the biblical - the Godly - foundation for a generous life?
It is that we have all been created to be generous, while at the same time tempted to hoard. God created us with the willingness to give—to God and to others. This design is part of our makeup; we actually have the need to be generous. Yet there are two inner voices that work against our God-given impulse toward generosity, tempting and warning us to keep or hoard what we have.

We hear both voices – one of fear, the other of self-gratification – that keep us from being generous. We are afraid of what might happen to us if we don’t have ‘enough’ for ourselves and so, place our security in hoarding what we have. But hoarding provides no real security at all. Our culture tells us that our lives consist in the abundance of our possessions and pleasurable experiences. So we find ourselves thinking, If I give, there won’t be enough left for me.

What we have to do is overcome these voices. When we give our lives to Christ, invite him to be Lord, and allow the Holy Spirit to begin changing us from the inside out, we find that our fears begin to dissipate and our aim in life shifts from seeking personal pleasure to pleasing God and caring for others. Although we still may wrestle with the voices from time to time, we are able to silence them more readily and effectively the more we grow in Christ. And the more we grow in Christ, realizing that our lives belong to him, the more generous we become. Generosity is a fruit of spiritual growth.

There are many Biblical reasons to give to God and others, among them, these two:
• We find more joy in doing things for other people and for God than we ever did in doing things for ourselves. (Acts 20:35)
• Life is a gift, and everything belongs to God. (Psalm 24:1; Leviticus 25:23)

And there are Biblical guidelines for giving, as well. From the early days of the Old Testament, God’s people observed the practice of “giving a portion of the best of what they had to God.” This gift offered to God was called the first fruits or the tithe, and it equaled one-tenth of one’s flocks or crops or income. Abraham was the first to give a tithe or one-tenth of his wealth. Jacob followed suit in Genesis 28:22, saying: “and of all that you (God) give me I will surely give one tenth to you.” And it was included in the commandments given Moses on Mount Sinai writings Moses: “All tithes from the land, whether the seed from the ground or the fruit from the tree, are the Lord’s; they are holy to the Lord.” (Leviticus 27:30)

Is giving a tithe outdated? As Christians, who live under the new covenant, no longer bound by the Law of Moses; for us, it is only a guide. Yet most Christians agree that the tithe is a very good guideline for our lives and for our giving - one that is pleasing to God. (Suggestion: Use the video clip “Tithing and the Ten Apples.”) Though tithing can be a struggle, it is possible at virtually every income level. If you cannot tithe right away, take a step in that direction. Perhaps you can give 2 percent or 5 percent or 7 percent. God understands where you are, and God will help you make the adjustments necessary for you to become more and more generous.

What about giving beyond the tithe? Tithing is a floor, not a ceiling. God calls us to grow even beyond the tithe. We should strive to set aside an additional percentage of our income as offerings for other things that are important to us, such as mission projects, schools, church building funds, and other nonprofit organizations.

What does our giving mean, exactly? Early on in the Bible, people’s giving was seen as part of their worship of God as they placed the first fruit of their labors upon the altar. Doing so, they expressed their gratitude, devotion, and desire to honor God. Their offering expressed their love, faith, and the desire to please and honor God. Such offerings were a blessing to the Lord. They are just as much a blessing today. We can find God’s response to our giving in Luke 6:38, which says,
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
We find it also in the story of the faithful servant from Matthew 25:
“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” (21)

Our generosity also has an affect upon us. Through it our hearts are changed. When we are generous—to God and to our families, friends, neighbors, and others who are in need—our hearts are filled with joy. Our hearts are enlarged by the very act of giving. When we give generously, we become more generous.

And in our generosity, we find the blessings of God. (Malachi 3:10) Many Christians have it wrong. They say that if you give, then God will give more back to you. But that is not how it works. We do not give to God so that we can get something in return. The amazing thing is that when we give to God and to others, the blessings just seem to come back to us. Of course, there is no guarantee that if you tithe you will never lose your job or never have other bad things happen to you. However, we do know when we give generously, the unmistakable blessings of God flow into our lives.

What defines your life? Is it wealth? Belongings? Faith? Many of us live with a scarcity mentality, worried that we must gather and hoard as much as possible, saving for some imagined “rainy day.” Or we focus on self-gratification. But the Bible promises both God’s blessings and joy for those who choose to live another way. I hope each of us will take action to change our lives by setting five specific personal goals to work toward over the next year. Take the time right now, as part of our silent meditation and prayer, to complete a “Personal Goals and Commitment” card and place it in your Bible for your personal reference in the coming year.

-- from the series, Enough: Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity by Adam Hamilton.