Overflowing Gratitude: The Heart of Christian Generosity

'One person gives freely yet gains even more.' Proverbs 11:24 NIV

In His teaching, Jesus focused on the heart of giving.  He exhorts giving in secret to be seen by God rather others (Matthew 6:1-4, Luke 18:12).  Jesus also taught generosity as a crucial component of keeping wealth from becoming an idol (Matthew 6:24), which is why He told the rich young ruler to give all he had to the poor (Mark 10:21, Luke 18:22).

Jesus taught generosity as an investment in the Kingdom of God: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).  By giving money to the work of advancing the Kingdom, we are investing in eternity and thus depositing our treasures in heaven.  Jesus echoes the Old Testament’s promises of heavenly rewards for generosity, so everything we invest for the Kingdom has guaranteed eternal returns.  Everything else will eventually perish, so it is folly to put many of our eggs in that basket.  With this perspective, the Christian is motivated to give as much as possible to the advancement of the Kingdom while keeping as little as possible invested in earthly things that will not give an eternal return.

That perspective is the exact opposite of the world’s approach to money, so it will look like folly from the outside.  This is the point of the parables of the treasure and pearl, both of which involve people finding something of great value and selling everything they have to buy it (Matthew 13:44-46). 

“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed” (Proverbs 19:17).  Remember that in the parable of the talents, when the wicked servant doesn’t invest in advancing the Kingdom, his talent is given to the one who invested and had the greater return (Matthew 25:18-29 cf. Proverbs 22:16, 28:8).  Now, the choice to invest becomes obvious.  Not only is generously investing in the Kingdom not foolish as it appears to outsiders, but it is actually the smartest investment strategy.  As Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep gaining what he cannot lose”.

The most detailed discussion of generosity comes in 2 Corinthians 8-9.  Here, Paul is encouraging the Corinthians as they prepare to contribute to the needs of the saints, using the generosity of the Macedonians and the Corinthians’ prior eagerness to motivate them (2 Corinthians 8:1-6).  From Romans 15:25-26, we know that this particular collection was to aid the saints in Jerusalem, so it falls under the category of charitable donation above and beyond the tithe.  Nevertheless, Paul speaks of them owing these contributions to the saints in Jerusalem because they had reaped spiritual benefit by the Gospel reaching them from Jerusalem (Romans 15:26-27).

For Christians, generosity is more than just the way we give money, spend our time, and share our abilities with others. As we give, we get to be living examples of what Christ has done in our lives. Giving, above all else, is about the testimony of the gospel.” Giving, then, is a blessing not only for those who receive it, but for all of us who do it. We don’t have to give—we get to give! And as we give, we proclaim what Christ has done for us and proclaim our trust and confidence in him. What a joy then, and what an honour, that God calls us to this sacred task.

Someone said this about money: 'You can't win. If you focus on making it, you're materialistic. If you try to but don't make any, you're a loser. If you make a lot and keep it, you're a miser. If you make it and spend it, you're a spendthrift. If you don't care about making any, you're unambitious. If you make a lot and still have it when you die, you're a fool - for trying to take it with you.' The one way to truly win with money is to hold it loosely...to be generous with it and achieve things of value.

In 1889, industrialist Andrew Carnegie wrote an essay entitled 'The Gospel of Wealth', in which he said that the life of a wealthy person should have two stages: a season of acquiring wealth and a season of distributing it. The only way to keep an attitude of generosity is to make a habit of giving of your time, talent, attention, resources and money.

How can you become generous? (1) Find out what kind of hold your possessions have on you. Choose something you truly treasure, think of someone you care about who needs it and give it to them. (2) Put your money to work. If you know someone with a vision to do something really excellent, provide the resources for them to do it. Give something greater than yourself. Help those who can't help you or give you anything in return. As John Bunyan said, 'You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.'