Continue in series focused on Spiritual Insights for Insecure Times
Central truth - Apart from God… our relationship with money and possessions becomes corrupted and controlling.
We becomes slaves… smaller… captured in this early scene in the movie Wild Hogs… in the rather pathetic character played by John Travolta
Film Clip – Wild Hogs
This man needs serious reorientation… and I suppose I need it as well.
What we see is a man who uses people as a means to gain things to find himself.
Has he grown larger as a human being? No… in his pursuit to get… he has become a smaller person. Especially as he faces the loss of his resources… he is reduced to a whining boy.
In the midst of our insecurity and uncertainty what is the antidote? We’ve considered two… simplicity, trust in God… and today… Generosity
Generosity simply means giving readily to others. I think we all grasp the basic meaning… but a little reflection helps us grasp what is at stake. When we speak of a generous portion… it means.. larger. In truth, a generous person is larger… more truly full and fulfillimng their greatest dignity. The English word is derived from that which infers nobility...that which reflects what is greatest… to be cherished..
Generosity is a gift that lies among us and within us…in a strange way…
I think we both look up to it… respect it…revere it…want to reflect it… but know that it conflicts with something else within us. We love to give… but we really want to get as well… maybe even more.
This tension… conflict… becomes more acute as our nation faces leaner times.
So fitting to consider in these times… and in this week as we prepare to share in Thanksgiving
Jesus put it most simply… “It’s more blessed to give than to receive.”
Acts 20:35 (NLT) “I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
You may have always thought that was a Hallmark original… or Shakespeare…
This is the Apostle Paul’s farewell address to the Ephesian elders. Paul had chosen a way of life that truly followed Jesus. He also speaks into the life of the community in…
2 Corinthians 8:1-4, 8-9 (MSG) - MESSAGE TRANSLATION
“Now, friends, I want to report on the surprising and generous ways in which God is working in the churches in Macedonia province. 2 Fierce troubles came down on the people of those churches, pushing them to the very limit. The trial exposed their true colors: They were incredibly happy, though desperately poor. The pressure triggered something totally unexpected: an outpouring of pure and generous gifts. 3 I was there and saw it for myself. They gave offerings of whatever they could—far more than they could afford!— 4 pleading for the privilege of helping out in the relief of poor Christians. 8 I’m not trying to order you around against your will. But by bringing in the Macedonians’ enthusiasm as a stimulus to your love, I am hoping to bring the best out of you. 9 You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us—in one stroke he became poor and we became rich. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, 10-11 (MSG) 6 Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. 7 I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving. …10 This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, 11 wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.
Lets consider HOW generosity works in us… and then ho to cultivate it on a practical level. I. What is the Positive Power of Generosity?
1. Generosity is the power to connect us with the very nature of God… of the Divine generosity in whose image we were created to share in.
Who is the first giver… the initial force?…Paul reminds of how God has given… how Jesus gave up so much for us…
2. Generosity is the power to free us from the unhealthy grip of materialism.
Paul describes how the freedom breaks the power of what we perceive we cannot live without. Paul describes something of a miracle…“they gave more than they could…”
If you simply ask me to explain more about the things I want.. and why I want them… I end up recognizing their limits The truth is that the ad calls forth… in the moment I truly believe that there
is a something that equates with my happiness … the want becomes a must… and unless something wakes me up… soon I’m trying to make my new thing make me happy… I see the # of shirts I already have… realize I hardly have time for the new thing.
(Costco joke)
Generosity… the freedom to choose to give… is an antidote to the limits of materialism.
Henri Nouwen writes about the “nonpossessive” life:
“To be able to enjoy fully the many good things the world has to offer, we must be detached from them. To be detached does not mean to be indifferent or uninterested. It means to be nonpossessive. Life is a gift to be grateful for and not a property to cling to.
A nonpossessive life is a free life.” (Bread for the Day, Feb 20)
Gordon Cosby – “To give away money is to win a victory over the dark powers that oppress us.” (MSP, p. 36)
“Generosity is to materialism what kryptonite is to Superman.” — Lloyd Shadrach, pastor and author
3. Generosity is the power to restore the vital truth… that people matter more than possessions.
Paul describes how they were “pleading for the privilege of helping out in the relief of poor Christians.”
Generosity involve a willingness to separate ourselves from money because of the greater gift of connecting with humanity.
When I stop to buy a homeless person lunch… I experience that it felt more human… more right… to relate to a fellow human as such… than the connection to that $5.
You can give and not love but it is impossible to love and not give.
Last weekend… one of our members had a birthday party for their 6 year old son… Matthew..… what he was most into and wanted were Iron Man toys…after he opened his gifts he had two of the same toy (Iron Man- what he is in to right now)… He then gave his “new” toy to another boy… Cold have thought of returning it… and getting another toy… but he saw a boy that mattered more.
4. Generosity is the God-given power to bless…. which is life giving.
Clip… the John Travolta character is becoming smaller… is reduced to a whining brat…
Paul describes a picture of lives that rose up… that grew bigger…
How? > Because there really is more blessing in giving than getting.
A special edition of CNN had some of the top life trainers on.. including Tony Robbins… and asked how people should get through the crisis at hand. At one point Tony Robbins said… I tell people to go make food for someone in need.. so you’ll realize that you can still help others.
A study of longevity among older couples reports that people who give time and energy to friends and relatives, and emotional support to spouses, are likely to live longer than the folks solely on the receiving end of the equation. (Dallas)
(Following section was primarily summarized)
RESEARCH SUPPORTS IT’S BETTER TO GIVE THAN RECEIVE
Arthur C. Brooks, professor of public administration at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs has studied donor demographics for over a decade. His book, Who Really Cares, published in December 2006, presents empirical evidence of traits that predict and promote philanthropy.
Brooks defines charity broadly as “voluntary, beneficial, ‘affectionate’ acts that have the ability to transform the giver and receiver in unique and important ways.” Generosity, he declares, is mutually beneficial for the needy and the nurturing.
He readily acknowledges that the United States is a remarkably charitable nation by all reasonable standards. However, he has discovered that giving is a way of life for some and woefully absent among others. He describes two distinct Americas—Charitable America and Selfish America. “Although 225 million Americans give away money each year, the other 75 million never give to any causes, charities, or churches. Further, 130 million Americans never volunteer their time.”
Professor Brooks explains that race, gender, ethnicity and age are unable to help us understand the causes of charitable giving. These innate characteristics don’t address the reasons why people either give or choose not to give of their time and money. Even income and wealth do not tell the whole story. Reminiscent of how Jesus was impressed by the willingness of the widow to offer her meager mite, Brooks calls our attention to the generous giving of the working poor families in America.
“The difference between givers and nongivers is found in their beliefs and behaviors. Four distinct forces emerge from the evidence that appear primarily responsible for making people charitable. These forces are religion, skepticism about the government in economic life, strong families, and personal entrepreneurism.”
If you actively attend a house of worship, believe that you and not the government are your brother’s keeper, have grown up in a home watching your parents volunteer and give to church and community and work for a living, then you are part of Charitable America. Remove any one of these characteristics common to givers, and you start the process of relocating to a residence in Selfish America.
… charitable people are more likely than uncharitable people to be happy, healthy, and financially prosperous. Yes, prosperous people are more likely to give to charity—but charity can also make them prosperous and more likely to make even more charitable contributions.”
An ancient adage of the Judeo-Christian ethic advises that “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Professor Brook’s synthesis of the latest social surveys provides powerful support for this premise. Social science and sacred Scripture coalesce to confirm the tangible benefits to a compassionate community that makes a genuine and generous effort to collectively “love one’s neighbor as oneself.”
THOMAS FITZPATRICK (http://www.vision.org/visionmedia/article.aspx?id=4400)
5. Generosity is the power to invest in what cannot be taken away.
Jesus teaches us that… this life is just preparation for entering the fullness of eternity.
• The man who built bigger barns to store all he had… lost perspective that it wouldn’t last.
Sending It On Ahead
There’s an old story about a sailor shipwrecked on one of the South Sea islands. He was seized by the natives, hoisted to their shoulders, carried to the village, and set on a rude throne. Little by little, he learned that it was their custom once a year to make some man a king, king for a year. He liked it until he began to wonder what happened to all the former kings. Soon he discovered that every year when his kingship was ended, the king was banished to an island, where he starved to death. The sailor did not like that, but he was smart and he was king, king for a year. So he put his carpenters to work making boats, his farmers to work transplanting fruit trees to the island, farmers growing crops, masons building houses. So when his kingship was over, he was banished, not to a barren island, but to an island of abundance. It is a good parable of life: We’re all kings here, kings for a little while, able to choose what we shall do with the stuff of life.
As Jesus teaches us…
Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV) "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Popular and pointed statement:
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”
“The real measure of our wealth is how much we’d be worth if we lost all our money.”
II. How Do We Develop A Life of Generosity?
Jesus didn’t just propose this quality of life… he and his followers share some of what can help shape it is us.
1. Develop a grateful enjoyment of what we are blessed with.
If we only see greater need… we will never be free to be generous.
We find that one of the healthiest things we can do before the holidays… is to go through all that we have… and give away all that we really don’t need. Sometimes a toy gets pulled out and played with… re-appreciated.
> The realization is that we have more than we were appreciating.
2. Let generosity begin with our own family and friends… but never end there.
God knows that generosity will embrace the stranger… and the spontaneous… but not as a substitute for those most connected to us.
We live in a culture of sensationalism… so enamored with what makes us feel significant…. that we can become spectators of generosity…. or at least confuse big with being more valuable. We watch show like “Extreme Home Makeover’…Wonderful, inspiring… but dangerous when caring and sharing for our own family seems less exciting ... or when we become LESS aware of our real life relationship to the needy family down the street..
I believe that the whole of God’s Word would teach us to both begin with family, then spiritual community (spiritual family), then strangers and those least cared for.
1 Timothy 5:8 (NLT) “…those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith.” It is wrong to not care for family first… and wrong to only have regard for family.
Someone said..
“Charity begins at home and generally dies from lack of outdoor exercise.”
Jesus speaks of the other side…
Luke 6:34-35 (NIV) “And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ lend to ’sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”
We want to live this way as a body…
• Building > Missions giving
• Hard Times > Live within means… and enter the new year with a spirit of generosity.
3. Leave margins for generosity in our budgeting of life
Leviticus 19:9-10 (MSG) "When you harvest your land, don’t harvest right up to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings from the harvest. Don’t strip your vineyard bare or go back and pick up the fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am God, your God.”
What is God describing? Leaving margins… a planned and regular pattern of not consuming everything.
From what I see…
“There is a foundational level of being ‘managers’ that invests into God’s purposes … a life pattern most often based on a percentage of our resources. This establishes a foundational sense of stewardship and communal responsibility. Then out of such a life pattern of giving… there is the added dynamic of generosity that chooses to respond to special needs with special sacrifice.”
Those who are most generous give BOTH in a planned and ongoing way… as well as spontaneously.
The most common pattern… giving 8 to 10% to the common ministry of our community. And another 1 to 2 % to a variety of special and spontaneous needs.
It’s a matter of margin.
4. Let generosity flow from the joy of freedom
Now Paul says a lot about planning for the offering… he has no problem inspiring.. enticing.. exhorting generosity… but he is clear on what must not be lost… the personal freedom that gives joy.
2 Corinthians 9:7 (MSG) “I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.”
“When the giver delights”… often translated a “Cheerful giver”… it’s a words that implies out of control delight… wild delight… Could be translated… ‘hilarious’…
Freedom is not an option… anything else is not generosity.
5. Enjoy the personal nature of generosity by protecting it from attention.
Matthew 6:3-4 (MSG) “When you help someone out, don’t think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.”
“To give without any reward, or any notice, has a special quality of its own.” — ANNE MORROW LINDBERGH (1906-2001), AMERICAN AVIATRIX AND WRITER
CLOSING:
For the past three weeks we’ve begun to consider some spiritual insights for insecure times
Next week… the last week of this series… focus on gratitude. I will share a little of what God says about the power of gratitude… but most of our time will be a time of expressing our gratitude… of open microphone sharing of thanks. So in preparation, whether you are here or not… share or not… consider…: ‘What am I particularly grateful for… either this past year in particular… or that I appreciate more this year in particular?’
Obviously, we have only begun to really consider all that God says…so today we are going to end by offering you something that could shape your thoughts far more as you prepare for the year ahead.
It’s a small book entitled: 40 Days of Generosity
Remarkably popular with over 300,000 copies in print… and 100s of church communities having grown together through it.
We would like to invite you to join in the final 40 Days of this year…with a focus on generosity. There are 40 very short reflections… and 40 days beginning today if we conclude on January 1st. We have purchased these in bilk to be a part of growing in generosity. All that is asked is that you consider a reasonable intent to read through it …. Nothing legalistic here… you may not read it each day for 40 days. The point is that if you really DON’T think you’ll read it much… at any time in the near future… then just pass on the option. I do hope that the theme of generosity… of wanting God’s perspective about our relationship to money… will be something you will value cultivating… especially as we enter this holiday season.
