Generosity

Read Matthew 19.16-26.

I have recently been thinking about generosity and giving. There is a saying that "the last thing to be converted is the wallet". I am not sure that it is the case for everyone although it can be tempting to not fully trust Jesus but to want to trust ourselves and our own abilities in other areas of our lives and so I would guess it holds true here too. We find it difficult to fully trust him with our economy. We feel that we are safer if we have a bit put away for a rainy day.

There is much to say about the common teaching, purported to be Jesus' teaching that Christians should give a tythe, 10% of their income to charities and the church. I believe Jesus wants us to give our lives fully to him and that includes our economy. What we have therefore belongs to God and is given to us to use wisely. Our generous God does not say that we should have nothing ourselves, far from it. We are however asked to use it wisely and for His glory. Time and again in the gospels we see that Jesus is less interested in how much people give as in how much they keep for themselves.

There is another saying which is somewhat sharper than the first one I quoted "the church does not have money problems, there is pleanty of it in the pockets of the church members". I think that is perhaps a bit provocative but it does make a valid point.

What we give and where we give it to is not about how many blessings we might get back although God does bless us especially when we behave like him, in this case generously, but we cannot buy his blessings.

To be a disciple meanns to be a follower of the master and disciples in Jesus' time would give up everything to follow their master if he were to choose them. Jesus turned this on its head and he invites us all to come and follow him as one of his disciples. It is not just for the special chosen few, following Jesus is open to all. We make the choice but to be serious about following him demands our all. Isaac Watts put it well in his famous hymn When I survey the wonderous cross.

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Our giving does not start with ourselves but with Jesus and our generosity springs our from there. When money has more control over us or power in our lives than Jesus then we need to re-evaluate our priorities. The bible text at the top of the page is considered sufficiently important to be included by Matthew, Mark (10.17-31) and Luke (18.18-23) in their gospels. Do we hear what it says and do we take it seriously, we who live in the rich west? Is there any area of our lives we have not fully given over to Jesus?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhmmeFuzGRk&feature=share