Do You Want to be Generous?

Most people hate it when preachers or churches talk about money.  The topic can cause even a visceral reaction in some people.  Clenched fists, shifting in their seats and mentally checking out.  “Yeah, yeah, yeah . . . I get it, you want more of my money.” 

I think one of the reasons for this is that far too many of us see giving as an obligation to God, or even worse, as an obligation to a church or to a pastor.  I’ve made the mistake before in preaching in trying to shame people into giving more.  Lesson learned.  Giving out of compulsion or guilt isn’t what God wants, and it’s not what I want for the people that I pastor. 

In today’s reading from 2 Corinthians 8, Paul tells us in v.4 that giving to God’s work here on earth should be seen as a privilege.  In v.8, he says that giving is a way to prove that our love for Jesus and for others is real. 

Most importantly, giving is something that we do in response to what God has given to us through Jesus Christ.  Read slowly and prayerfully what he says in v. 9: "You know how full of love and kindness our Lord Jesus Christ was. Though he was very rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich."

When we consider the generosity of Jesus – the generosity of his love, kindness, healing, mercy and power – and what we have in Him, this should encourage us to be generous with what we have been given in this life.  Jesus didn’t hold anything back from those that he loved and cared for.  He has given us absolutely everything we could ever want or need.  Giving generously is an opportunity for us to become like Jesus and to further the advancement of His Kingdom on earth. 

One of the most common excuses I hear from people about deciding not to give generously is that they don’t have enough to give.  I get that.  Most people I know are like my family – you live paycheck to paycheck.  You have a mortgage, a car payment, utilities and other living expenses.  If you’re fortunate enough to have an employer that gives you a 3% cost of living raise each year, that meager raise hasn’t kept pace with the rate of inflation for the things you buy.  I know that some people absolutely cannot give financially, and that’s OK.  Paul even says in v.13 that he doesn’t want his friends to give so much that they suffer from not having enough.  So if this describes your current situation, you can check out and quit reading. Sometimes unexpected situations come up – unforeseen medical bills, unemployment, underemployment, etc – and you absolutely can’t give.  And that’s OK for a season.  And if this is the season you’re in right now, let your church help you get back on your feet!

But if you have enough to give financially to God’s work on earth, and you want to become a more generous giver, keep on reading.  Or if your financial hardship is because you’re living above your means and racking up stupid debt, keep reading. 

In v.12 Paul begins by saying, “If you are really eager to give . . .”  The question for all of us to ask ourselves is this – Do I WANT to give generously?  Do I want to be faithful in obedience to God with my money?  Do I want to partner with God in seeing lives changed for eternity?  This is the context for his instruction in this chapter.  He’s addressing a church body that believes that generous giving will change lives for eternity and they want to be generous in giving! 

Generosity is all about desire and intention.  Generous giving doesn’t happen accidentally.  Generosity comes out of an intentional desire to honor God and serve others with your money.  If you want to give, you can give.  If you want to be generous, you can be generous.  If you don’t want to give, or if you don’t want to be generous, you don’t have to!  The issue isn’t dollars, it’s devotion! 

If you decide in your heart that you want to be generous, Paul continues in v.12 by telling us to, “give what you have, not what you don’t have.”   I think this is really the heart of the matter for most people that struggle with financial generosity.  We think about all that we don’t have instead of what we do have.  When we look at what we do have, and what we expect to have, we can plan to give generously.  When we live with a spirit of generosity because of what Jesus has done for us, giving generously becomes a priority in our lives and we give from our wealth instead of our poverty. 

Look, I’ll offer a disclaimer here that I always offer when I talk about money and giving.  It’s weird for me because my salary and the financial well being of my family is directly tied to the generosity of the people that give at my church.  If people didn’t give generously, I wouldn’t be able to take care of my family.  If people didn’t give generously, we wouldn’t be able to pay staff at our church, pay the rent where we gather for worship, fund the ministries that we carry out and give financially to individuals and ministries in our community and around the world that are in need.  I fully understand that I am the beneficiary of generous giving and that everything that happens at our church is the direct result of generous giving.

But here’s the other thing you need to know.  I don’t ask people to do what I don’t do myself.  As I read through God’s Word today, I’m challenged myself in thinking through my financial devotion to Jesus.  Is what my family gives to the ministry of my church generous, or am I holding back?  One of the hardest things about being a pastor and teacher is living out what I encourage and challenge others to do. 

Paul reminds his friends in v.14 that right now they have plenty and can help meet the financial needs of the ministry in their church.  How ‘bout you?  Do you have plenty right now?  Are you planning to be generous with your finances, or are you holding back from being a blessing?  Do you see giving as a privilege or a chore?  Do you see giving as an opportunity to show that your love for Jesus and others is real?