Generosity Grows in the Soil of Gratitude
“You don’t have to eat those vegetables. You get to eat those vegetables.”
I laugh as my kids screw up their noses at my husband. This adage has become commonplace in our home. “You don’t have to. You get to.” While it annoys our kids to no end, I hope someday they will see the value in this very subtle perception change.
It is the same with giving, and we believe that God has us on a journey to up our generosity. As we discussed in last week’s post, giving is not just about reaching the bare minimum, it’s about generosity–which is over and above the expectations placed on us. In the Old Testament, God commanded the Israelites to bring the whole tithe into the storehouse (or the Temple). That mandate did not stop when we crossed over into the New Testament, or New Covenant of Grace. The tithe is 10%, that has not changed. It comes off the top of everything you earn and goes to the local church–the place where you are fed and have fellowship with other believers, and then look outward to reach your community.
Tithe is just the starting place, my friends. God not only asks for 10% like He did in the Old Testament. He asks for everything–our whole heart and being.
Love is the Greatest Form of Obedience
Compulsion has to do with fear. Freewill gifts come from a heart of love. Once again, what does this say about the condition of your heart? How do you change a hard heart?
Gratitude.
Gratitude is being thankful, and it displays a heart that is soft—willing to show appreciation for what has been given to you, and a willingness to return kindness. A soft heart can be used by God because it is sensitive to His leading. Generosity springs from a heart whose soil has been softened by gratitude.
“Generosity grows in the soil of gratitude” - Pastor Jim Boyd
I was reminded about the story in the Old Testament where giving was extravagant, not just the bare minimum. This story takes place in the wilderness, when the Israelites had escaped from slavery in Egypt and God was setting them apart as His special people.
“3 And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, 4 so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, 5 and said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do.” 6 So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing, 7 for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.”
Exodus 36:3-7 ESV
Did you catch that? The Israelites had to be restrained from bringing anymore because they had given over and above! The artisans who were working to build the Tabernacle not only had enough, they had way too much! I can imagine the smile on Yahweh’s face at the freewill giving that they displayed. God calls us to be just like that, because it reveals that our hearts are truly for Him. God has rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. At that point, I don’t think they cared about the stuff. The Egyptians had literally given them all their gold and possessions as they left, as if to say, “Please take it, Just get out!” God was preparing the way for His Tabernacle to be built with the spoils of Egypt.
What an honor it is to give in the same way, with a heart full of gratitude and thankfulness. It’s not “my stuff” anymore, it all belongs to Him anyway. It’s so beautiful that Jesus knows that when He calls and has need of something, we will freely give.
We Have to Pass the Torch
Unfortunately, the Israelites went through centuries of cycles where they turned their backs on God and then came back to Him. When they entered the Promised Land, they did not expel all the Canaanites like He had commanded, and these pagan influences caused them to fall into idol worship and all kinds of disobedience.
6 When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. 7 And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel. 8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years. 9 And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. 10 And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.
Judges 2:6-10 ESV
This may seem like a strange rabbit trail to go on with this theme of giving. The point here is that a generation was raised up after the death of Joshua, and all the people who had seen God’s mighty works in the wilderness and in bringing them into the Promised Land. Was that the children’s fault? No. Their parents did not teach them the ways of the Lord. They got lazy and didn’t pass the torch to their children.
It is the same with giving. Unfortunately, churches are closing at an alarming rate all over our state and country. Why? One reason is that there are just not enough resources to keep the doors open. People have quit giving, but they expect the church to be able to keep their lights on, run outreach to their community, and pay a pastor. But that money doesn’t just appear out of thin air. We need everyone to work together. When you give, you add the fuel to the engine of the church to be able to go and do what God has asked us to do. We all get to do that together!
It’s not enough to give freely of ourselves. We have to teach our children the importance of giving generously if we want the efforts of the Church to go forward, long after we are gone.
It’s true that you cannot take your worldly wealth or possessions with you when God calls you to heaven. But you can take a wealth of another kind: souls for the Kingdom. Your radical, extravagant giving is what helps bring souls to Jesus. How many will be touched and changed because of your generosity?
