“No
man was ever endowed with a right without being at the same time saddled with a
responsibility.” Gerald W. Johnson
Bestselling
author, Stephen King, is most famous as the writer of horror novels. Sometime
back he spoke to the graduates of Vassar College and offered some profound
advice:
“A couple of years ago I found out what ‘you
can’t take it with you’ means. I found out while I was lying in a ditch at the
side of a country road, covered with mud and blood and with the tibia of my
right leg poking out the side of my jeans like a branch of a tree taken down in
a thunderstorm. I had a MasterCard in my wallet, but when you’re lying in a
ditch with broken glass in your hair, no one accepts MasterCard. We all know
life is fleeting, but on that particular day and in the months that followed, I
got a painful but extremely valuable look at life’s simple backstage truths. We
come in naked and broke. We may be dressed when we go out, but we’re just as
broke. Warren Buffet? Going to go out broke. Bill Gates? Going out broke. Tom
Hanks? Going out broke. Steve King? Broke. Not carrying a dime.
All the money you earn, all the stocks you
buy, all the mutual funds you trade—all of that is mostly smoke and mirrors.
It’s still going to be a quarter past getting late whether you tell time on a
Timex or a Rolex. No matter how large your bank account, no matter how many
credit cards you have, sooner or later things will begin to go wrong with the
only three things you have that you can really call your own: your body, your
spirit and your mind.
So I want you to consider making your life
one long gift to others. And why not? All you have is on loan anyway. All that
lasts is what you pass on….We have the power to help, the power to change. And
why should we refuse? Because we’re going to take it with us? Please. Giving is
a way of taking the focus off the money we make and putting it back where it belongs—on
the lives we lead, the families we raise and the communities that nurture us.”
Wow! Not exactly the stuff you’d expect to come out of Stephen King’s
mouth. “A life of giving—not just money,
but time and spirit—repays.”
We’re now officially in the “giving season,” yet giving is something
that most of us struggle with. American culture is about getting not giving.
Rarely, does someone downsize…until maybe they’re nearing the end of life.
Instead, they expand for that promotion, upgrade to that next car, go on a more
expensive vacation, and purchase a better media center or cell phone. It’s
about getting more space, more me-time, more down time and recreation for me. We’re
much better at getting than giving. Giving is an afterthought for most of us,
getting is a top priority.
Be
honest. When was the last time that you wrote down a giving goal? When was the
last time you dreamed about how much you can give away? When was the last time
that you even prayed about being able to give more? Or, when was the last time
you excused, rationalized, or justified what you’re giving now because you feel
guilty? Perhaps you justified not giving at all.
What about giving away time? Do you look for ways to serve, to help, to
minister to others? When was the last time you volunteered? Or, when you are
asked, do you open your mental file, looking for that “answer” that will get
you off the hook yet not make you look self-absorbed?
Getting is the American way; it’s just not God’s way. And the more that
we know God, the more that we love Him, the closer we walk with Him, then the
more that we will be like Him. God is the epitome of generosity.
Unbeknownst
to him, Stephen King is simply echoing what the Bible teaches over and over
again. It’s generosity that gives purpose and meaning to our lives. Whereas, getting
leaves us empty and feeling meaningless.
Think of the people that you know who are truly generous. Aren’t they
usually characterized by joy, contentment, a spirit of gratitude? Others are
drawn to them. Yet, what about those focused on getting? Usually, you will find
that they are critical, complaining and discontent. They are miserable and
miserable to be around.
No
wonder Jesus said that it’s more blessed to give than to receive. Do we believe
that? To be blessed is to be happy. Giving generously brings greater happiness
than stockpiling for ourselves. If it’s true that we’re more blessed when we
give than when we receive, then it’s reasonable to expect blessing when we give
to God’s purposes. Giving generously to God’s kingdom allows us to lay up
treasures in heaven. These treasures are part of our rewards as
Christ-followers and one of the many blessings of a life of generosity.
More importantly, our generosity makes a difference for the cause of Christ.
Lives, eternal destinations can be changed for eternity as a result of the
money and time we give back to God. Changing lives is one of the reasons we
exist. As long as we’re on the earth God has a purpose for us. Ephesians 2:10. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” The
message is clear. We’re created and regenerated in Christ to do good works—and
part of those good works includes helping others to fall in love with Jesus. We
do this one-on-one with people we come in contact with. One of the best ways to
reach those who do not yet know Christ is through our giving. Our generosity allows
us to partner with other believers so that together we change the world for
Jesus Christ.
To become generous requires a work of God’s
grace. Generosity is unnatural. God must change us from our natural selfish
inclination so that we become generous and become more like Jesus. 2
Corinthians 8 tells of this inner transformation in a group of Christ-followers
in Macedonia. These believers were very poor, yet despite their poverty,
they’re one of the most beautiful models of generosity in Scripture.
It is impossible to grow to spiritual
maturity until we become generous. There’s a spiritual axiom that says Jesus
can have our money and time and not have our heart, but Jesus cannot have our
heart without our money and time. God wants us to excel in every area including
the grace of giving.
Grace-giving is motivated by gratitude to God
for the gift of His Son and for His work in us. In response to all that He has
done we give ourselves fully to Jesus Christ. Then, in response, as an act of
worship, we give generously to advance the cause of Christ. In the end being
generous will bless us infinitely more than we ever dreamed. Jesus was right: It is much more blessed to give than to
receive! Do you really believe that? Then, show it!
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