Generosity.

I have been spending some time reading up on financial stuff lately. Many different authors say many different things. I have my own opinions as do you I am sure. In just about all of this stuff I am reading, I have seen a lot about money. But only a few books have taken the risk to look beyond the glorious dollar to see what is going on in our souls. Here’s what’s been going in mine, as it relates to money, lately.

I used to give money away like it had no value, believing that God would give me more. And, well, He has given me more I suppose. But I got the distinct notion recently that God wanted me to be more strategic with my generosity. He wanted me to know the value of His money before I gave it away. And a funny thing happened when I started understanding the true value of money: it started to hurt when I would give money away. It didn’t hurt before, which is probably why it wasn’t hard for me to give. But now it was harder. In response, I did something probably drastic: I subconsciously stopped giving away money. Some might say that this was a step backward, but I think that God was bringing me through something here that wasn’t supposed to be clean journey. This was going to get a little messy.

Generosity (Charity) is love. (In fact, in many places it is the same greek word) Loving people can be really hard. Generosity can also be really hard. But it hadn’t been hard for me until the day that I learned the value of money. From that day, it has stung every time, even if I wanted to be generous. I can hear it now. So, if loving people is hard, do you just stop loving people? The answer should be no. But the truth is that we choose to not love people all of the time because it hurts. My path has led me back to a healthier understanding of what generosity is all about. It’s not about a feeling that I might feel if I do or don’t give. It’s about doing what’s right for the person to whom or place to which I choose to give. It’s comes back to love. 

So the question came up: What is generosity called if there isn’t love? What would you call someone who threw around generosity with no understand of it’s value? 

Whatever you would call it, that’s probably what I was. Now, I know what it costs to give. I also know what it costs on the return. I know the benefit of the sting. That is what love does. It looks for the benefit through the pain. It gives with the full knowledge that suffering will most likely happen. It lays down itself for the best interest of the other. It seeks the greater good. 

 

So, where are you on the generosity continuum? Does it hurt when you give? Does it bring joy to bless others? Does it do both? Give me some stories… 

Book: Chazown by Craig Groeschel

Pretty good book if you are looking for what you might be supposed to do with your life; if you’ve ever wondered if you’re headed in the right direction. Here are a few quotes that caught my attention…there’s probably more to come from this book:

“God wants you hot with passion to know Him intimately, Hot with desire to internalize His word and love His people; burning within to follow His voice; aching in your heart for those who are lost; full of righteous anger against sin {whatever gets in the way of you and God}…hot happens on purpose.” (pg. 122)

“You can always get closer to God; there’s always more to know.” (pg. 122)

“The strange truth is that you can be in a crowded room and still be alone. Or be married for forty years and be little more than roommates…God has prepared people to mentor you, sharpen you, love you, and lead you towards His dream for your life.” (pg. 135)

“So much of life trains us to do life solo – study alone, take tests alone, search for jobs alone, couples try to have good marriages alone without the help of others, try to raise the kids alone. God wants us to do life in a faith community – together in teams, in a web of committed relationships where generous giving, fair fighting, deeply communicating and fun finding is modeled for us.”  (pg. 137)

 

And another book saying something similar to all of this:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37-39

 

Book: In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson

I read this book earlier last month and pulled some great insight about courage and faith. Seems that these two things are basically inseparable. Mark Batterson’s take on a seemingly hidden couple of verses in the Old Testament shouts about God’s desire to take his people out of hiding and into combat. I have skipped over this entire story many times for one reason or another in the past.  I think that this is very applicable to life. To follow God through an unseen world takes great courage and proves our faith. Our faith becomes the evidence of our ability to trust and believe that God has our best interest in mind and will never harm us. Good book.

Anyone else read this book? What is your take?