GENEROSITY
II Corinthians 9:11-14
You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God. Through the testing of this ministry, you glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your sharing with them and with all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you.
The Christian understanding of generosity is rooted in at least two biblical narratives. The first is the Exodus and the second is Jesus. Both stories are critical to a better understanding of Godly generosity. In the Exodus story, a ragged group of escaped slaves are wandering in the wilderness. No matter how desperate their circumstances in Egypt, they had food to eat. Now they were on their own and generations of slavery left them ill equipped to survive in such circumstances. Camping and hunting were not skills taught in Egypt. As the story goes, God provided manna – a word that translates ‘what is it?’ – every day for the duration of their wanderings.
Because the manna was only good for one day, each day the Hebrews had to rely on God for their survival. Even when they complained about the monotonous diet, their survival depended upon God’s generous care. A few points to keep in mind:
- Even if we have enough, we are quite capable of complaining.
- God’s generosity provided a means for everyone to have enough. No one had too little and no one had too much.
- Since the manna lasted only one day, hoarding did not do anyone any good.
- Living required staying in the present. It was all they had.
In real life, we often live with a deprivation mentality rather than abundance mentality. In real life, we want to manage our safety, we want to plan for a rainy day. ‘Enough’ is a moving target. There is some data that suggests that when asked how much money people need, the most common response (no matter how much people actually had) was: “About 20% more.” When ‘more’ is always better, it is hard to be grateful and it is hard to be generous.
Part of living in the present is planning. None of us are going to wake up each morning to discover that the food we need for the day is in our front yard. None of us want to age without money for our care. One of the saints of our church, in her mid-nineties worried that she would live beyond her savings. At the time she had assets exceeding five million dollars. Our human error is far more likely to become anxious rather than trusting. It is an emotional predicament more often than a financial one.
Manna in the wilderness teaches humility and humility is a crucial element of generosity. We offer generosity best when we live in the faith that our needs will be met—albeit not necessarily in the way we might have prescribed. We acknowledge we are dependent creatures and what we have is a gift. In such a mindset, it is impossible to assume entitlement. The Greek word translated generosity is ‘chairos’ also translated as grace. When we are filled with grace, we are humble and grateful. That grace overflows out of us in the form of generosity. It is difficult to live both in the present and to plan responsibly for the future. It is a real-life tension. Our most common error is to lean too hard toward trying to protect our future. Emphasizing generosity serves to keep the tension alive. Otherwise, we get stuck on the human end of the continuum and are more likely to hoard than share—much less be generous.
Jesus, the human manifestation of God, the living expression of God’s grace, shows us what God’s grace – God’s generosity – looks like. There were no conditions. God’s grace was not for the deserving. The gift of Jesus was offered independently of how he was received—in the full knowledge that some would respond with dismissal and rejection. The gift was offered in the full knowledge that some would kill him. That is radical generosity.
No matter how difficult it is to follow Jesus in real life, he calls toward a counter intuitive way of life. What God wants for us is a life of mutual regard and sharing. That life is not possible without a living example. It is also not possible without observing that the worst can happen to the gifts we offer—including the gift of self, but no matter what happens, the giving matters. Love matters and love cannot be destroyed. That example is Jesus.
In real life, we are far more likely to claim generosity when we are really offering a transaction. If we offer our time, our energy, talent or money most of want a return on our investment, we are offering a deal. It may be highly favorable to the recipient, but it still has strings attached. Contracts and expectations of reciprocity are not the issue. Contracts and expectations are part of our daily life, but we should not confuse our offers with Christian generosity. We discover we have crossed the line into self-interest when we pull out our secret score cards and think, if not say: “Look what I’ve done for you. Couldn’t you at least….? At least say thank you, at least empty the dishwasher, at least help me… Such scorekeeping is a way to control relationships. Instead of saying what we want and risk disappointment and grief if the answer is no, we use our ‘good works’ to obligate and manipulate. This may sound harsh, but we all do it. We just need to be more accountable for the ways we manage our wants and fears.
Years ago, I was teaching, and I told the class they were lucky I was such a sinner. When asked, I explained that each week, I counted them as they arrived and if I reached a certain number, I was pleased and thought to myself, “Good Teacher!” If the count was below that number, I worried what I had done wrong. The class responded by seeking to reassure me, “Everybody does that.” I said yes but that doesn’t make my reliance for validation upon a headcount any less sinful. It just exposes one of the many ways I do not quite trust God’s love. That said, I told them that my very sinfulness kept me teaching. The fact that I needed approval motivated me to show up regularly. Fortunately, God can use sinners. We are complicated, limited creatures. We move in the direction of God. That is true in every part of our spiritual life. It is certainly true of our generosity.
God does not call us to be generous to keep score or quantify our faithfulness. God wants us to be generous because generosity benefits us as individuals and as a community. Generosity is one of our core values because it reflects humility, gratitude and regard. When we live our lives based on those foundational principles, we discover what really matters and what is really eternal. Our money, our talents and our physical bodies are certainly not eternal. We will lose them no matter what we do. Mindfulness, regard, generosity and compassion are the activities of life that are eternal. They give life. As Jesus says to his disciples in the Gospel of John 14: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. That promise and that faith free us to be generous.
We have a responsibility to live within our limitations and fears but the promise of God’s salvation from a dead-end life is clear. We cannot go wrong by being appreciative and generous with our time, talent and money. Discover for yourself the unexpected joy of finding safety in God’s providence as you give what you have received. Let it be so.
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