BEING GENEROUS TODAY
Gentleness, self sacrifice and generosity are the exclusive possession of no one, race or religion. — Mahatma Ghandi
Do you ask yourself “why” are you generous? Do you remember the last time when you were generous? What caused the generosity? These are interesting questions we should all ask ourselves.
I feel many times we follow the lead of the famous author Simon Sinek and ask “why” regarding our trajectory of life but forget to ask “why” regarding mundane things. If you are unaware of Simon Sinek, he popularized this idea of why, “all the great organizations in the world, all have a sense of why that organization does what it does.”
When I think about generosity the first things that come to mind are these scriptures, “give and it will be given unto you,” or “he who waters others will himself also be watered,” or “he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,” or “bring all your tithes to the storehouse that there will be meat in my house.”
So I’ve got all these scriptures bouncing like ping pong balls in my head but what do I do with them, why are they important? How do I apply these ideas to real life?
As I pause to think about these scriptures, one that “really” speaks to me regarding generosity is this one, “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” This verse in Matthew is the one that really takes the cake when it comes to generosity.
It basically is saying, whatever you spend money on is what is important. This scripture has been a constant barometer for my generosity. You see, I can look at my debit card and see where my money flows. You can do the same. Have a look for yourself. Do your own generosity audit.
This isn’t to point fingers but simply to gauge where your heart truly is. I find it fascinating and I have been checked so many times as I ask myself, “where is your heart anthony?”
So how does church play a role? When you open up a giving app, what is your head telling you? If you are like me, you’re trying to see the advantages of giving. Yes, there’s a tax advantage and maybe you feel good about some of the causes that the church supports. Those could be values that align with your values. However, when I asked this question to myself, I saw things differently. This next question you ask yourself is going to take some real honesty. You probably won’t like it but I’m happy to share it with you.
In Matthew 18, Jesus says to Peter, “upon this rock I will build my church.” Essentially, Jesus is saying his church will be built and he’s hoping Peter jumps on board. You and I may read it and say, “O, that’s for Peter and not for me.” However, when I read the Bible, I want to be involved in what Jesus is involved in. If Jesus is saying “build the church,” I want to be building it however I can.
Generosity is much more than catching a tax break or feeling good about yourself, the question to be asking is, “am I building God’s church?” If God has blessed me with everything I have, then why wouldn’t I help build something he has asked us to build?
Many times I don’t like it. Many times I look at my tithe being extracted and wish it was being used for a vacation or the kids or whatever. However, our house is committed to building God’s house — it’s a non-negotiable. I want my debit card transactions to read — “building God’s house.”
This may not be where you’re at today and that’s ok. The goal isn’t to convert and collect. That’s not how generosity works — at all! Today is about asking yourself hard questions. It’s getting inside your brain as to “why” you do what you do and “is that working?”
We are created in the likness and image of God — therefore, generosity is built inside of you. We are all generous in some form. However, I do believe our treasure, or money is highly linked to our heart.
If this kind of talk bothers you, it’s a good question to ask yourself, “why” is this bothering me? Explore your mind, explore your “why” and I believe you will discover all sorts of amazing gifts and truths waiting to be unlocked.
