Keys to Generosity

Generosity. We hear about it occasionally in church, nearly always in the context of budget shortfalls and capital campaigns. We read about it in our emails as charitable organizations present pictures of overwhelming need. It seems like we’re always being asked to give more – whatever we’re giving, there’s always more need. As a result, even the thought of generosity tends to stir up feelings of guilt and defensiveness.

Scripture paints a much more balanced, well-rounded picture of generosity – one we do well to adopt. It’s not just about building structures, funding budgets, and meeting needs. Certainly, all of those can result from generosity, but they’re not the heart of generosity.

At its core, our generosity is a response to God’s great grace and love. We don’t give to God because he needs it (Psalm 50:12). We don’t give to earn God’s favor (as if that were possible). Instead, we give because God first gave to us – both physical life and spiritual life (Genesis 1:27; John 3:16).

Generosity is a core element of discipleship. It’s a key characteristic of the Christian life. We can’t grow far in Christlikeness without growing in generosity. So, what does that look like?

The Why of Generosity

You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.

2 Corinthians 9:11-13

Why is generosity important? As Paul writes to the Corinthians about an opportunity to provide support for the impoverished church in Jerusalem, he lists several benefits and results of generosity.

Generosity Glorifies God

“Your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God…overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God…others will praise God…” Throughout this brief passage, Paul highlights the most important result of generosity – it brings glory to God.

God can use the generosity of believers to impact the lives of non-believers. One of the defining characteristics of the earliest church was the way they shared their possessions so that everyone’s needs were met (Acts 2:44-45). And one of the major outcomes of this and other manifestations of the church was that God added to their number daily (Acts 2:47). We don’t typically think of generosity as a church growth strategy today, but it certainly worked for the early church!

Generosity leads to rejoicing in the Lord. We see it in this passage but also throughout Scripture. Paul rejoices in the Lord over the support he received from the church at Philippi (Philippians 4:10). When the leaders of Israel gave generously for the building of the temple, all the people rejoiced (1 Chronicles 29:6-9). Our generosity glorifies God because it reflects his image.

Generosity Supplies Needs

Our generosity supplies the needs of others. We’ve seen how the early church took care of each other by sharing possessions. Some even sold houses and lands to provide for needs in the body (Acts 4:32-37).

Earlier, when the people asked John the Baptist what they should do to produce fruit in keeping with repentance, his answer began with generosity (Luke 3:10-11). This wasn’t new news – before the Israelites even entered the Promised Land, God commanded generosity toward the needy (Deuteronomy 15:1-11); in fact, this was the heart behind the year of Jubilee.

Generosity Opens Doors to God’s Provision

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

2 Corinthians 9:6

“God takes care of those who take care of themselves.” So goes the modern proverb. But people whose only concern is to take care of themselves don’t actually rely on God’s provision; they rely on themselves. Scripture paints a different picture: God takes care of those who honor him with their wealth.

Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

Proverbs 3:9-10

As we’re faithful to God with what he has given us, he is faithful to provide for us (see Malachi 3:6-12). One of the most abused verses in all the Bible is the promise of Philippians 4:19 regarding God meeting our needs. Abused, because it’s nearly always taken out of context. The context of the verse is generosity in giving to God (in this case, in support of Paul’s ministry, see Philippians 4:18).

This is not the so-called prosperity gospel! That “give to get” mentality is a distortion of the Scriptural priority: “Give to glorify God and trust him to take care of you.”

Generosity Guides Our Hearts Toward God

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 6:19-21

Generosity is not the only way we store up treasure in heaven, but it is a foundational aspect. Wealth is deceitful, and chokes out the Word in us if we let it (Matthew 13:22). Worldly wealth seeks to entrap us (1 Timothy 6:9), like it did the rich young ruler who turned away from following Jesus (Matthew 19:16-22). Generosity creates a powerful antidote: when we give money away, we diminish the pull it has on us. We say, in effect, “There’s something more important in my life than wealth.”

Jesus teaches us that our hearts follow our treasure. Generosity is one way that we put that treasure in heaven, so that our hearts are fixed there also (see Colossians 3:1-2).

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Stewardship: The Framework of Generosity

It’s helpful to define and differentiate three important terms that get confused because they’re often used interchangeably: Giving, Generosity, and Stewardship. When a church runs a “Stewardship Campaign”, that nearly always refers to giving. When we hear the term “generosity” used by churches and charities, they typically mean giving. So let’s look at these three terms before we go further.

Giving

Giving is an act. It involves sharing something of ourselves with others – usually finances (but can be thought of in a broader context).

Not all giving is generous. Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of property, gave part of the proceeds to the church, and lied about it (Acts 5:1-11). Jesus watched many people putting money into the temple treasury, but called out only one person for her generosity (Mark 12:41-44). The Pharisee in Jesus’ parable gave as a source of pride rather than out of generosity (Luke 18:9-14).

Generosity

Generosity is a mindset. It puts God’s glory and the needs of others ahead of ourselves. While not all giving is generous, a mindset of generosity always leads to giving – whether that’s financial giving or sharing of resources, time, expertise, etc.

Generosity is a characteristic of the faithful disciple. As believers, we should want to grow in generosity just like we want to grow in love, grace, humility, and other Christlike character traits.

Stewardship

Stewardship is a lifestyle. It’s a framework within which generosity is possible. Stewardship is broader than generosity; it includes all that we do with money and other resources. Stewardship supports generosity in a couple of important ways:

1. Steward vs. Owner. When we see ourselves as owners of all that we possess, the purpose of our possessions becomes meeting our needs and satisfying our wants. It’s all about us. When we see God as the owner and ourselves as stewards, we recognize that the purpose of everything in our possession is to bring glory to God.
2. Financial Freedom. Biblical stewardship – including earning, saving, spending, and debt – is what provides the resources for generosity. Managing resources (especially finances) wisely for God’s glory provides ample funds to support generosity.

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Heart – The Source of Generosity

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

Luke 6:43-45

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

Proverbs 4:23

Our hearts are the source of our attitudes and actions. If generosity is to characterize our lives, it will start in our hearts. It’s possible to participate in an act of giving without our heart really being in it (cf. Ananias and Sapphira above), but over time our actions will reveal whether generosity is in our hearts.

Generosity starts with a heart of contentment – the type of contentment that leads us to trust God whether living in plenty or in need (Philippians 4:11-13). It’s hard to be generous if we’re not first content with what God has provided, because we’ll always be striving for more. Contentment enables us to acknowledge God’s provision and forms a basis for trusting him to continue to provide (see Matthew 6:25-33). This frees us up to be generous when others in similar financial circumstances might find that challenging.

When we’re content, we’re also more likely to be grateful for God’s provision – because we’re focused on what he has provided rather than on what we don’t have. This gratitude leads us to giving cheerfully and generously, rather than begrudgingly (2 Corinthians 9:6-7).

Contentment doesn’t always lead to generosity. This is where the stewardship vs. ownership principle comes back in. The Rich Fool in Jesus’ parable (Luke 12:13-21) was content – he got to a place where he didn’t need more. But he got to that place with a mindset of ownership – he had worked hard for everything he had, and now it was time to enjoy what he had saved up. There was no gratitude for God’s provision and no sense of stewardship; as a result, generosity wasn’t on the table.

Generosity magnified

We mentioned before that it’s possible to give without being generous.  True generosity tends to well up and spill over on occasion, as God brings specific needs or opportunities to us. We see this all through Scripture:

• The offerings of the Israelites for the construction of the tabernacle, which exceeded the needs (Exodus 36:1-7);
• Zacchaeus ‘extravagant giving out of gratitude toward Jesus (Luke 19);
• Mary’s anointing Jesus’ feed with expensive perfume (John 12:1-8);
• The widow who put all she had into the temple treasury (Mark 12:41-44);
• The Macedonians, who gave out of their poverty to support the believers in Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 8:1-5);
• The early disciples, who sold houses and lands and shared all their possessions to take care of the needy (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-37).

These are examples of exceptional giving (based on occasion as opposed to regular, systematic giving) – but this is the kind of giving that true generosity leads to when the occasion calls for it.

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Mind: Characteristics of Generosity

While generosity wells up from our hearts, it must be sustained in our minds. A number of mindset characteristics contribute to generosity, but we’ll look at just a few here.

Faith: Abundance vs. Scarcity

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:1

We saw earlier that generosity requires a heart of contentment. Related, it also requires a mindset of abundance – even when that abundance isn’t necessarily visible. This mindset takes two forms: an acknowledgment of “enough” and a trust in God’s provision.

Sometimes, a mindset of abundance is all about the stories we tell ourselves about what we have. Maybe we don’t have as much as our neighbors have, or maybe we don’t have as much as our parents did. Maybe we don’t have as much as we thought we would by this stage of life. This mindset is less about what we actually have and more about what we think of what we have. This is where the heart of contentment comes in – not comparing ourselves to others or to some man-made ideal, but being content with what God has provided.

Other times, a mindset of abundance requires seeing with eyes of faith rather than with our physical eyes. The widow in Zarephath (1 Kings 17:7-24) exemplified this kind of faith. Down to her last bit of food, she chose to trust God and feed Elijah rather than to take care of herself and her son. This is the kind of faith we see all through Hebrews 11 and it manifests in many ways, like courage, determination, obedience in the face of persecution. But it also manifests in generosity – like that of the widow of Zarephath or that of another widow centuries later, who put her last two copper coins into the temple treasury.

Humility: Show-off vs. Secret

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Matthew 6:2-4

The hypocrites Jesus spoke about did everything for men to see. Their giving was not generosity, because they were motivated by praise from people. This was the attitude of the Pharisee praying in the temple in Jesus’ parable (Luke 18:9-14) and of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5).

Generosity doesn’t seek attention. Instead, it focuses on bringing glory to God and blessing to others. A generous person knows that God sees and rewards acts of giving. To such a person, praise from people is not important.

Similarly, generosity is not an attempt to “do our part” in response to a need or project. It’s possible, of course to give generously in that context (as Paul urged the Corinthians to do, 2 Corinthians 8-9) – but if the giving is under compulsion (such as cajoling by the church, etc.), then it’s not generosity – it’s more like “paying our dues”. Again, generosity leads us to give for God’s glory and others’ blessing – not to meet expectations of others.

Recompense: From God, not Men

“When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Luke 14:12-14

Generosity doesn’t expect a material response. It doesn’t create an implied indebtedness on the part of the recipient. Instead, it gives with no thought of receiving in return. The focus isn’t on “giving to get” but rather on giving to bless others. This is one of the key differences between stewardship-based giving (which has generosity at its heart) and prosperity gospel giving (which has personal gain at its heart).

Grace: Response to God’s favor

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:8-10

Generosity doesn’t attempt to earn God’s favor through giving. The generous giver gives in response to God’s favor, not as a precondition of it. God has created us for generosity, and generous giving is part of the “good works” which God has prepared for us to do. But none of these good works are a condition of our salvation – they’re a response to God’s grace.

Priorities: Generosity in Context

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”

Matthew 23:23

Generosity is motivated by desires for God’s glory, for the advancement of his kingdom, and for the blessing of others. As a result, generosity doesn’t happen in a vacuum; instead, it occurs in the context of important matters like justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the matters that are on God’s heart, and they’re on the hearts of generous givers.

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Hands – The How of Generosity

It’s one thing to understand the importance of generosity and to aspire to the characteristics of generosity. Most of us would agree that we’d like to be more generous. But actually becoming more generous requires more than just wishful thinking – it requires some practical steps. And while it’s possible to give without being generous, growing in generosity is typically reflected in growth in our giving.

Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

1 Corinthians 16:1-2

Paul was not trying to cajole the Corinthians into giving for a cause they had no interest in. The church already had a desire to give, as Paul noted (2 Corinthians 8:10). So here, Paul gives instructions as to how to realize their vision. His instructions include two key characteristics of generous giving:

1. Regularity. There’s a place for ad-hoc giving to meet specific needs. But growth in generosity includes giving that’s regular and planned. It’s not just something we get around to when we have a chance; it’s a priority.
2. Income-based. Real generosity takes place at the beginning of our spending, not at the end. It’s based on our income, not what’s left over after we pay the bills. So Paul instructs the Corinthians to begin each week with giving based on the previous week’s income.

Making this a reality requires a couple practical steps:

1. Make a Plan. As we indicated earlier, generosity is one aspect of stewardship. If we’re going to be generous, we have to start with a plan for stewardship – often referred to as a spending plan. We need to determine how much we’re going to spend in various categories in order to prioritize generosity as a significant aspect of our stewardship.
2. Follow the Plan. A plan is only good if we actually follow it, tracking our spending and comparing it to the plan, and making adjustments as needed.

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The Road of Generosity

Like discipleship overall, generosity is a journey more than a destination. The important thing isn’t so much where we are on the road, but whether we’re moving in the right direction.

Entrance Ramp: Stewardship and the Kingdom

The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,

the world, and all who live in it.

Psalms 24:1

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?…

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Matthew 6:24-25, 33

Stewardship begins with recognition of a basic truth: As Creator, God owns everything in the world – including everything in our possession. As a result, we’re responsible to handle our finances and possessions in ways that accomplish his purposes.

Jesus gives us a choice. We can choose to serve money or we can choose to serve God. If we recognize God as the Owner of all things, the logical choice is to serve him. Interestingly, Jesus connects this choice with whether or not we worry about our lives. Choosing to serve God rather than money leads to seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness. Choosing to serve money leads to worry about our needs being met.

The on-ramp to generosity is a choice to serve God rather than money. It’s a decision to recognize God as the Owner of all things and to seek God’s kingdom as our top priority.

Mile Markers: Steps on the Road

Each of us is at some point on the road of generosity. Hopefully, we’re heading in the direction of ongoing growth in this important discipleship characteristic.

Many of us have been made to feel guilty or foolish because of the way we’ve handled finances in the past. And many of us are suffering the consequences of some very real mistakes. But we need to start from a point of God’s grace. We can’t change the past. When John the Baptist (and later, Jesus) told people to repent, they weren’t asking their hearers to erase the past. They were urging the people to make different decisions in the future and head in a new direction.

So the important thing for us is to make decisions to move further down the road of generosity. Tracking spending and creating and using a spending plan are the key steps to set us in the right direction. Here are a few “mile markers” on the road; it’s up to each of us to know where we are and what the next steps might be to continue further in the direction of generosity.

Give Something

Heading down the road of generosity starts with giving something. If we’re not yet in the habit of giving, this is the first step. The amount is less important than the heart behind giving.

Giving is one way that we store up treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). Even in the midst of difficult times, giving is important. It’s important for several reasons:

• Giving is a recognition that all we have comes from God (James 1:17; 1 Timothy 6:17)
• Giving helps to break the hold that money has on us (Matthew 6:19-24).
• Giving is a way of expressing trust in God to provide for us (Matthew 6:25-33);

It’s easy to think some version of “When things get better, I’ll start giving.” Scripture suggests the opposite – once we begin giving, God responds by providing for us. This was the experience of the widow at Zarephath, as we discussed above (1 Kings 17:7-24)

Give Regularly

The next mile marker is regular giving. That might be weekly, twice a month, monthly, etc. The point is that we’re not just giving when we have a few dollars left over, but we’re committing to a regular giving cycle.

Regular giving is a next step in faith. Many of us pray for God to increase our faith, but often that faith increase is a result of taking a step. God first demonstrated to the nation of Israel his power by parting the Red Sea for them to cross; 40 years later, as they prepared to enter the Promised Land, God required the priests to actually step into the water before parting the river (Exodus 14; Joshua 3). In the same way, sometimes God waits for us to take a step of faith before opening certain doors.

Give Proportionately

Having established a pattern of regular giving, the next step is to base that giving on our income. This was Paul’s instruction to the Corinthians, as we saw earlier. The entire tithe system of the Old Testament was based on income.

When we begin giving, we tend to give the leftovers after the bills are paid. But income-based giving requires a next step of faith. Now it’s not just about what we can “afford” but what we are committing to God to do.

When we give proportionately, we’re making a statement about the importance of giving as a part of our overall stewardship. Sometimes “proportionate giving” is used to mean tithing – that is, giving 10%. And that’s a good goal. But “proportionate” means “in proportion to income”, as Paul urged in 1 Corinthians 16:1. It doesn’t specify a percentage.

Target the Tithe

That said, there is an importance in Scripture attached to the tithe, meaning ten percent of income. This was codified in the Old Testament in several places. Arguments have been made for and against the tithe, but there’s no denying the importance of it in Scripture, especially in the Old Testament. As we continue down the road of generosity, we should target the tithe as a goal.

Any act or pattern of obedience entails a couple of traps, and tithing is no different. We discussed a couple of these earlier: the temptation to take pride in our giving and the error of giving to earn God’s favor. Staying on the road of generosity requires that we avoid these off-ramps.

Go Beyond

As we said at the beginning, generosity is a journey more than a destination. Reaching the tithe is an important mile marker on the road – but it’s not the end of the journey. Once we reach the tithe, the next step of ongoing growth is to consider how God would want to continue to increase our generosity. Perhaps that looks like increased regular giving. Maybe it looks like setting up a Generosity Fund to be used to meet specific needs when they come up (kind of like the Benevolence Fund that many churches set aside). The generosity fund is a great way to give in support of causes and organizations that God puts on our hearts. It can become an upward spiral, enabling us to more meaningfully pursue God’s purposes.

Fueling the Journey

Any journey requires fuel, and the journey of generosity is no different. Most of us are using all the resources God gives us (whether wisely or less wisely). So progressing down the road of generosity typically means finding some additional resources. Where can these resources be found?

Spending

Most of us, if we’re not tracking our spending against a plan, are probably spending money that we’re not aware of or overspending in some categories. Often, some trade-offs can be made that will increase resources available for generosity. Some trade-offs are easy, like getting rid of subscriptions or memberships we’re not using. Others are more difficult. But often, some spending reductions can free up resources for additional generosity.

Saving

Purposeful saving reflects scriptural wisdom. But it’s also possible for saving to go beyond our needs into hoarding. The line between saving and hoarding is often not obvious, but it’s worth asking the question if we’re saving more than we need (like the rich fool in Jesus’ parable, Luke 12:13-21). This is an area to be approached prayerfully and with the wisdom of a good financial planner.

Windfall Income

What happens with increase? Raises, bonuses, tax refunds, inheritances – what do we do with these occasional boosts in income?

Most of us adjust our lifestyle to match our new income – whether that’s one-time income or ongoing additional income, like raises. A better stewardship approach is to determine a Lifestyle Cap, a level of income that supports the lifestyle that we believe God is leading us to, and draw the line there. Additional income becomes available for increased generosity – whether regular giving or a generosity fund.

Lifestyle Generosity

Generosity is a key theme of the stewardship journey – not the only characteristic, but a central one. To keep our growth in generosity on track, we need to incorporate it into our lifestyle.

Keep the Main Thing, the Main Thing

There’s a temptation in giving and generosity to focus on details and ignore the weightier matters on God’s heart. The Pharisees tithed a tenth of their spices (a detail not specified in the original tithing laws in Deuteronomy 14:22-29) but neglected matters of more importance to God. Jesus confirmed their attention to detail but condemned their failure to understand God’s heart.

Today, we can get caught up in controversies over whether the tithe should be on gross or net income or whether the only valid “tithe” is to the church rather than to other gospel-centered ministries (an option that wasn’t available when the tithe was created). The emphasis on details can obscure God’s heart on “weightier matters”. True generosity occurs in a context of living out God’s purposes.

Share more than Money

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

1 Peter 4:9-10

Peter urges his readers (and us) to share their lives with each other, offering hospitality and serving each other with their spiritual gifts. Jesus had earlier told the disciples that their love for one another would be the characteristic that set them apart from the world, urging them to love each other as he had loved them (John 13:34; 15:12).

Peter had reflected this kind of love for a beggar on the street (Acts 3). Peter and John didn’t have money to give to the lame beggar; instead, Peter healed him in Jesus’ name. This act of caring opened doors for proclaiming the Gospel in ways that simply giving the beggar money couldn’t have.

Generosity goes beyond money. True generosity involves sharing our lives, seeing the needs of those around us and responding with God’s love and compassion. In this way, our generosity incorporates the “weightier matters” that Jesus talked about.

Go and Do Likewise

Generosity is intimately tied up with compassion, mercy, and love. When Jesus was asked to expand on the idea of loving our neighbor (the second Great Commandment), he responded with the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). This man’s generosity took several forms – he gave of his time, his assistance, and his money.

In its most basic sense, generosity is a response to God’s love. It’s how we demonstrate love to God and to others. Jesus’ words to us are the same as they were to the expert in the law: “Go and do likewise.”

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