The Method of Generosity

This past weekend, I explored the topic of generosity, specifically the importance of planning your generosity in advance. Our natural inclination is to store up more and more for ourselves, but we can turn this desire into a method for experiencing more joy in our giving.

In Luke 12:13-21, Jesus shares a story about someone who stores up more for themselves without creating a rich relationship with God (and others). While we may not have barns with crops in them, we certainly have numerous ways of storing up more. The passage reminds us that saving up money often comes at the cost of a rich relationship with God.

I shared one of my favorite quotes from Dallas Willard's book The Divine Conspiracy, in which he offers one of the most compelling analogies against the unchecked accumulation of more (see: Amazon link).

“Today I have God, and he has the provisions. Tomorrow it will be the same. So I simply ask today for what I need for today or ask now for what I need now. This is how children do it, of course. A mother who discovers that her child is saving up oatmeal, pieces of toast, or strips of bacon for fear of not having food tomorrow has cause to be alarmed. The world being what it is, we can all too easily imagine situations in which the child’s action would be reasonable. But in any normal situation parents will be astonished and pained that the child does not trust them to provide for it day by day.” 

I remember in our foster training classes learning that it is indeed common for kids in the foster system to save up extra food from meals. They have learned that this is a reasonable way to meet their future needs. Yet it also reveals the lack of support they should be receiving from adults.

Another concept that plays into this type of generosity is an idea from Bill Perkins' book Die With Zero (see: Amazon link). Rather than dying with massive bank accounts of leftovers, Perkins challenges the reader to allocate and use your resources more wisely while you are alive.

"Although we all have at least the potential to make more money in the future, we can never go back and recapture time that is now gone. So it makes no sense to let opportunities pass us by for fear of squandering our money. Squandering our lives should be a much greater worry.” 

I ended with some practical ways to give in advance so that you are able to be more generous. As Andy Stanley argues, "The problem with giving leftovers is that your generosity can never exceed your ability to meet your own needs. If you prosper, there may be some left over. But the minute you face financial uncertainty, generosity takes a backseat.” 

In addition, generosity in advance also allows you to get more joy in the act of generosity.

Click here or at the video above to watch the message.

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