THE MOST GENEROUS PEOPLE YOU DON’T KNOW
‘So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. ‘ II Corinthians 9:7
‘Let giving flow from your heart, not from a sense of religious duty. Let it spring up freely from the joy of giving — all because God loves hilarious generosity! ‘ 2 Corinthians 9:7
I’ve grown up with some of the most generous people on the planet; my mom and dad. From an early age, they were helping people. From huge family parties to stray college graduates living with us for free, our home was built on generosity.
Most think generous people never have tough times. As we know, that is a lie. I’ve watched my parents go though heart breaks with friends who they had invested thousands of dollars. I’ve watched them battle through the global financial crisis in which they lost more money than I can imagine. I’ve watched them even more recently climb through a painful bankruptcy.
So yah, is the way of the generous perfect? F no it ain’t. However, one thing was perpetual — their consistency. The famous Winston Churchill quote could never ring more true in the lives of my mom and dad.
Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm. — Winston Churchill
This verse in 2 Corinthians is all about an offering, it’s about money. Paul is hyping up the church in Corinth as mad givers. They just show the f*** up and give. Paul is injecting courage into Corinth, while at the same time saying, “hey, don’t force it. If you can’t do it, it’s all good. We want joy, not just your juice.”.
If there is anything that is cringey (if that is a word) is when you feel forced to give at church or for that matter, anywhere. It’s such a hard balance sometimes to give vs “wanting” to give.
I guess the questions I have today is, “how can I get better at ‘wanting’ to give?”
Paul, in this verse pin points the heart. He doesn’t pin point how much money you have. He centers in on “your heart” and “the joy of giving”.
I’ve had so many joys of giving. The most recent was Christmas time. Roscoe, my oldest, is now 10 years old. I found it tough to find a gift. Then I remembered the film, The Christmas Story. Well, if you’ve seen it, you can guess what I got him this year.
I was so excited to give him the Red Rider BB Gun, I felt like I couldn’t wait. I love that kind of gift giving excitement. So then I say to myself, “why do I get so excited for that, but not as excited when I give my tithe or offering to church?”
I don’t have an answer for that. But ask yourself the same question.
What I do love about this verse and passage is — the church of Corinth were givers and known givers. Something was in them to give and support and I like that.
Whatever they were doing, I want to have that kind of joy when giving. And not just that joy when I give to people, that kind of joy when I build the house of God.
If any of you have generous people in your lives, let them know your’re thankful for them. And, not just thankful for stuff, thankful for how they have shown you a pathway toward generosity. The world needs more generous people and that starts with you and me. I’m believing in the midst of this crisis, gifts of generosity will be disbursed.
This is my prayer today — you can make it yours if it’s your thing.
Jesus, help me get on that Corinth giving vibe. Help me to see there’s more I can do with what you’ve given to me. Help me to trust you, that you’ve got my back. You’re generous to me, so why can’t I be more generous to others. Exchange faith with fear. Exchange doubt with dedication. I want to be better. Amen.
