Instilling Generosity
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DEEPLY ROOTED FAMILIES |
Instilling Generosity
Proverbs 11:25 (ESV)
25 Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.
Acts 20:35 (ESV)
35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
I once read a story shared by Dr. Jackson, a pastor from Tulsa, Oklahoma. One Sunday, when he was shaking hands with his parishioners as they left the church, a little boy came by with his mother. He wanted to give that little boy a dollar, but the little boy wouldn't open up his hands. Dr. Jackson explained what the mother said, "Well, the reason why he's not opening his hand is that he has a quarter in it. He felt that if he shook your hand, he would lose his quarter."
Unfortunately, this boy's selfishness prevented him from getting more than what he was clinging to in his hands. If he only opened his hands, he could have received more. But isn't it possible that some of us can miss out because we are keeping our hands closed?
Believe it or not, if we want our families to experience God's best blessings, we need to overcome selfishness and instill the attitude of generosity. But, nowadays, this is going to be one of our biggest challenges. Why? It is because selfishness is an accepted standard nowadays. What's in it for me? What do I get out of it? Unashamedly, people are living only for themselves; and the most important people in our lives are – me, myself, and I. We don't have time to help others. Our focus is only on what we want, what we need, and whatever would give us the highest benefit.
If you're a parent, I'm sure you have seen this attitude in your children's lives when they were still little kids. For example, they don't want to share their toys with other children; or if other kids are playing with another toy, they suddenly become disinterested with the toy in their hands, and they want to grab the other kids' toys. We know selfishness is a sign of immaturity. But when we as adults do the same thing, we easily justify it and call it as being practical or smart living.
As we continue our sermon series, Deeply Rooted Families, we also need to highlight the need to instill generosity within our families. When we started this morning, we read two Biblical passages - one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament. But, they are both saying the same thing. Proverbs 11:25 is quite plain in saying that if we go out of our way to bless others, God, in return, will make sure that we are made rich in blessings as well. If you read the same verse in the Message Translation, it would read:
Proverbs 11:25 (MSG)
25 The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.
Let's not miss the phrase, "abundantly blessed." Of course, we all want to experience this reality. God's way to reaching this level of blessing is by blessing others.
While the New Testament verse is simply a direct statement - 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Who said these words? It is not the apostle Paul but Jesus Himself. So, now the question is: Are you willing to believe this statement from Jesus? If you are struggling, I hope to convince you that it is worthwhile to instill generosity in our lives and families. Allow me to share at least four great reasons for it:
I IT PORTRAYS A REFLECTION OF GOD
God has a special place in His heart for generous people because it projects one of His significant characteristics – He is a generous giver. Generosity is not an attribute that we often emphasize about God. However, if you examine the Bible, you will see His generosity right from the time of creation.
He gave Adam and Eve a beautiful earth suitable for their survival and sustenance. He gave them His breath of life.
He gave them a beautiful garden that they could enjoy.
He gave a means for them to be restored to Him after they fell into sin.
He gave Israel the Promised Land.
He gave them His Word, so they will know how to relate to Him.
He gave His one and only Son, so we could receive forgiveness for our sins and live with Him forever.
Without a doubt, the most excellent demonstration of God's generosity is seen when He gave Jesus Christ as the sacrifice of our sins. The apostle Paul even saw this act as the guarantee that God will not withhold anything good from us since He already gave us the best gift:
Romans 8:32 (ESV)
32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
What would be the best understanding of the phrase "all things" in this verse? I believe the apostle Peter can give us a good idea of how we should interpret this phrase in 2 Peter 1:3 (ESV):
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
When Peter wrote to believers who were being severely persecuted, His encouragement was that God had already given them everything necessary to sustain them and keep them victorious. This interpretation would be most appropriate.
Therefore, if you are serious about representing God before the people around you who desperately need to know Him, I challenge you to reflect His generosity. Pastor Rick Warren once said:
"Believers are most like God when they are giving."
Are you adequately representing God today before your friends and loved ones? Take note that godliness and generosity will always have to come together. You cannot be a godly person without the other.
II IT PROJECTS A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
Mary, the sister of Lazarus, personifies this truth. In Mark 14:1-9, we will find this familiar story of Mary showing her deep devotion and love to Jesus Christ by anointing Him with an expensive perfume. So, we will appreciate what happened here, let's read some parts of the text.
Mark 14:3-9 (ESV)
3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.
4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, "Why was the ointment wasted like that?
5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor." And they scolded her.
6 But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.
7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me.
8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial.
9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her."
If you wonder how generous Mary was in her expression of love towards Jesus Christ, verse 5 tells us that the perfume was about "three hundred denarii." What is the equivalent of this amount today? Well, Bible scholars agree that this amount is equivalent to an annual income of an average worker during those times.
I should also probably mention that Mary was not really rich when she anointed Jesus with this expensive perfume. Perhaps, this expense was part of why she was criticized by the people who saw her do it. One of the people who criticized her was Judas, the treasurer of the twelve disciples of Jesus (John 12:4). So, I believe there's a good reminder here for all of us – sometimes, we can be criticized for our generosity towards God and His work. But, the commendation of Jesus to Mary makes it all worth it – "And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her" (v.9).
Think about the lasting impact of her generosity. Her willingness to generously spend for Christ will allow her to be remembered as long as the Gospel is preached. We are still talking about what she did today as a testimony of what Jesus said about her deed.
How are Christians giving today? VANCO, the ministry we are using for our online giving, recently released a study they did regarding the Tithing of Christians in America. Here are some of their statistics:
Only 5% of churchgoers tithe.
1.5 million people tithe out of the 247 million U.S. citizens identifying as Christians (Sharefaith)
The average weekly giving amount per churchgoer is $17 per week. That's $73.67 a month per giver.
That's $884 a year per giver.
If every Christian tithe 10% in America, God's work will have an extra $139 billion each year.
I know that only you and God know whether or not you are generous in our giving. So I just want to remind us that God is delighted when we are generous to Him because it shows our deep love for Him. Just as the popular saying from Amy Carmichael:
"You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving."
III IT PROMOTES A RELIANCE ON GOD
The third reason we must instill generosity in our families is that it promotes reliance on God. The widow of Zarephath exemplifies this truth to us. Let's read 1 Kings 17:8-16 (ESV):
8 Then the word of the LORD came to him,
9 "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you."
10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink."
11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."
12 And she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die."
13 And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son.
14 For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'"
15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days.
16 The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.
I love this story because it counters the misconception that generosity is only expected from people who have extra money. In this story, the prophet Elijah was instructed to go to Zarephath because God instructed a widow who was in deep poverty to feed him (v.9). But, of course, the big question here is: Of all people, why would God ask a widow to feed Elijah in the midst of a famine? This example was God's way of providing for her and her son sufficiently. But then, God's provision only came when she was willing to trust God for her needs by feeding Elijah first.
Notice that I referred to one meal as a generous gesture of giving because, according to verse 12, it was supposedly their last meal before dying of hunger. For me, that's the real test of generosity is when we are willing to give, even when it would hurt us.
In the New Testament, the Macedonian churches also exemplified this kind of generous giving:
2 Corinthians 8:1-4 (ESV)
1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia,
2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.
3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord,
4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints—
The context of this passage is the appeal of the apostle Paul to the churches he helped plant to collect some finances to aid the church in Jerusalem because they went through a great famine. According to this passage, the Macedonian churches responded generously, begging them to take their financial gifts. Perhaps, Paul hesitated to accept their help because they also didn't have a lot. Let me highlight verse 2, saying, "their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part." In other words, they did not give reluctantly but with cheerful hearts. Do you also give with that same attitude? As I can see in this verse, generous givers are always cheerful givers. Please remember this verse:
2 Corinthians 9:7 (ESV)
7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
With this verse, the fact is that our generosity matters to God. Therefore, he really wants to see us enjoy sharing what He has entrusted to us.
IV IT PROMISES A RETURN FROM GOD
Lastly, if we are going to instill generosity in our family, the biggest challenge is the shift of perspective of looking at what we are giving not as an expense but as an investment.
Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV)
19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
We carefully examine which investments can give us the highest return whenever we decide to invest. The Lord Jesus Christ perfectly understood this mindset, so He challenges us to consider heavenly investments instead of earthly investments because they will always be win-win investments. Why is this reality true? First, it is because these investments would not be destroyed (where neither moth nor rust destroys). Second, they won't be stolen from us (where thieves do not break in and steal).
If we want to experience God's bountiful return of blessings, we must be more intentional in our heavenly investments. We must learn to be more faithful in our tithes and offerings. The way to overcome our greed and selfishness is through faith and obedience in our giving. It is noticeable in the Bible that God always attaches the promises of return in almost all Scripture verses that talk about giving. Two very familiar verses:
Malachi 3:10 (ESV)
10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
The Bible clearly states that it is wrong to put God to the test (Matthew 4:7), but He invites us to test Him in giving. Why? He wants to prove to us that He will indeed deliver this promise. Another great verse is Luke 6:38 (ESV):
38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you."
The promise of return here is incredible. God will use the same measurement of our gifts, but He will make sure it's pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For example, if you gave a container of rice or corn. God will use the same container, but He will make sure it's pressed down, shaken together, and running over.
How many of you would dare trust God for His promises of the return of investments. God is saying, “We cannot outgive Him.” You see, our generosity creates bountiful blessings in return.
Let me challenge you to instill generosity in your family. Parents, if you want to see your children be blessed by God, then be an example of generosity to them. Inspire them to go deeper in their trust in God. I pray that we will all be rich in generosity.
During the start of the Pandemic, we decided to stop passing the offering plates. Instead, we encourage people to give online, or at the back of the sanctuary, there is an offering box. Was it a disadvantage to do that? Honestly, it was freeing to do it because there are no more eyes to see if you are giving or not. Now, it is really between the giver and the Lord. This truth reminds me of an article written by Lynn Miller in Christianity Today saying:
The worship offering [is] a pure gift to God in thankfulness for what we have already received. It should therefore be an exciting and major part of the service.
So, if we see our giving as an expression of our thanksgiving to God, we would still be generous whether the offering plates are passed or online giving or giving at the offering box at the back. May God help us make generosity a part of our lives and our families at all times!
-Bishop Jeremiah Lepasana