Greed & Generosity

Last Monday night I watched the presidential candidates’ debate.  The topic was supposed to be foreign policy, but it often strayed from that topic to a more domestic focus:  the economy.  Money is on many an American’s mind these days as we look to the future with questions regarding taxes, deficits, and our cost of living.  It is almost as though the common consensus is that if people just had more money everything would be okay. 

Interestingly, this past Sunday we read these words in worship:  Whoever loves money never has money enough money; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.  (Ecclesiastes 5:10 NIV) 

For the sake of full disclosure, I like having money as much as anyone does.  In years past we had times in our household when we have wondered how much of which bills we were going to pay, how we were going to buy groceries, and where the gas money was going to come from.  I much prefer having enough cash to pay bills to the stress and doubt of insufficient funds.  We all need money to some degree. 

This verse, however,  speaks to our human condition and our restless desire for more.  After all, “more” seems to be the mark of success, prestige, status, and happiness.  It is almost as though we added a verse to the Bible that says, “Blessed are those who have more, for they do not lack.”  People often go deep into debt to have “more.”  Dave Ramsey lampoons this practice saying, “We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like.”  The desire for “more” instead of “enough” is a dangerous thing. 

Whenever we deal with money, wealth, and material goods there are two words that are useful to keep in mind.  They both begin with the letter, “G.”  They are:  greed and generosity. 

Having wealth, in and of itself, is not a problem.  But if that wealth takes hold of our hearts, and it becomes our source of confidence of comfort, there is powerful temptation to accumulate more and more and more.  That temptation, stated bluntly, is greed.  Greed is deadly to our faith, to our relationship with God and with others, and to our happiness.  (Remember that in Mark 10, the rich young ruler “went away sad”?) 

The contrast to greed is generosity.  Generosity is God’s purpose for wealth.  It flows from the profound perspective that we have freely received from God, therefore we can freely give.  When we recognize God’s provision for our life – especially the gift of forgiveness in the death and resurrection of Jesus – we can begin to treasure God’s blessings rightly and be free to generously use them to His glory. 

Financial stewardship is an important part of our lives as Christ-followers.  We often approach stewardship from the standpoint of, “You should do this.”  It’s true.  We should.  But let’s try to look at stewardship from a different point of view:  Christ has set us free from sin and death so that we may be generous.  We have such confidence in the God that provides for us that we are released to give away some of what we have.  We are children of the Heavenly Father who is exceedingly generous with us, so it is simply a family trait for us to be generous too. 

As we approach the time that we pledge for our tithes and offerings to the Lord, please take time to prayerfully consider your giving back to the Lord and support for His mission.  Know that your church thanks God for your past and present generosity and looks forward to how God will bless your congregation through you in the future. 

Questions to Ponder

-          Looking back at Ecclesiastes 5:10, why do people find it difficult to be content with their salaries and level of wealth?

-          What about you?  If you came into a large sum of money, what would you do with it?  How would it feel to give away a whole bunch of money?

-          Generosity is not only about money, although that is what I have focused on here.  How can you be generous with your talents?  What can you do that would bless someone else?  How does it feel to help others?

-          We can also be generous with our time.  Who would benefit from your time?  How might you use your time in a generous way? 

-          List some ways you have experienced God’s generosity.  How do you feel about the idea that generosity is linked to being a child of God?  How would you like to have said of you, “Like Father like son/daughter!” 

-          When I was in the seminary, I once examined my spending and was shocked at how much money I was wasting on fast food, movies, and beer.  There is nothing wrong with spending money on things that give us pleasure, but such spending can get in the way of our generosity.  Is there any unhealthy spending in your life?  How would you feel about re-routing those funds to God’s mission?