Give it away!

There are givers and there are takers in this world. In 1977, I met Tom Johnson, one of the most giving people I have ever known! I was one of those he blessed. I was in a situation where I needed to support my little family, just three of us at that time. I was trying to balance a call to ministry with the imperative of putting food on the table. I had a back-breaking job that required every waking hour, 6 days a week, leaving me little time to do what I believed God wanted me to do. Tom came by our home one day and said, "Come with me." We went to his place of employment and into the boss' office together. Tom told him, "Jerry is a great guy and I know he can do my job. I quit, hire him!" He gave me his job which paid better and demanded fewer hours so I could pursue my calling! That wasn't the last time that Tom blessed me. And the best part was that he did it all for Jesus, not for himself, not to buy my friendship, not with any strings attached. He believed that people are 'blessed so that they can be a blessing.'

There are people who add life to whatever situation in which they find themselves and there are people who leave everybody around deflated. Which kind of person are you? In his great book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Covey teaches that we can live with either an abundance or scarcity mentality. If we believe the pie is just so big and that sharing it means everybody must take a smaller bite, we will tend to hold onto what we have. On the other hand if we are convinced that the pie can grow larger, we will tend to share. Generosity isn't just about money, either. We need to be generous in many ways: forgiveness, encouragement, helping others find success, volunteering, with our time, with love. Those are just a few things that come to mind. You can add to that list.

Here's a real paradox! Prosperity is the enemy of generosity. One would think that having more would lead a person to want to give more, but experience argues against that. It is a fact here in America that those who have more wealth generally (there are exceptions!) give away a smaller percentage of their income to charitable causes than do the poor. Before we engage in class warfare, let me ask you - do you support charitable causes? Do you give generously to others in proportion to your income? Generosity starts right where we are, right now; not sometime later when we have excess. Why? Because for most of us, if we do not start practicing the discipline of giving in the present, we will simply expand our standard of living as our store of resources increase.

In the Proverbs there is this wisdom: "One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." (Proverbs 11:24-25, NIV)

Jesus taught many lessons about being a giving, generous person.

One was the importance of having the right motive. "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." (Matthew 6:3-4, The Message) A person who practices his 'generosity' while putting out press releases is just serving himself. His 'gift' stinks because it is rotten with self interest!

Another is that God values all gifts that are given not just those that are big! "While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. "I tell you the truth," Jesus said, "this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has." (Luke 21:1-4, NLT)

And He taught that an attitude of generosity allows God to bless us! "Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back." (Luke 6:38, NLT) He was not suggesting that we ought to give to get! But, He was telling us that God isn't likely to trust us with more if we are hoarding what we already have!

God is our resource! He isn't having an economic crisis. He is not short on forgiveness. His love is unlimited. So, let's trust Him, let Him love us extravagantly, receive His grace in abundance. Then, let's pray that God will help us to let His generosity overflow through us. Indeed it is "more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35, NLT) Go bless your world with life gifts today!