Why Be Generous?
Luke 19:1-10; 2 Corinthians 8:3-4; 1 John 3:16-18
Capitalism rewards hard work and diligence. You work hard for what you have; why then should you give away what you have earned? Of course, one answer that we saw a couple of weeks ago is that even what you earn by your work is a gift from God. But there is another answer. Not only has God given you all that you have, God has given to you in accordance with his loving-kindness, not according to your worth.
Grace compels generosity. In God’s mercy, he refrains from punishing us in accordance with our sins. In his grace, he gives to us things that we do not deserve. On the cross, God’s mercy and grace were made manifest. In the person of Christ, God took our sins on himself so that we would not have to suffer for them, and he gave us salvation that we did not deserve. When you consider how you should give or how much you should give, remember the cross. We are compelled to give generously because of the great generosity that God has shown to us. A rich understanding of God’s grace does not lead to lawlessness; it leads to an understanding of the great debt that we owe to God – a debt that, though we can never repay, will drive us to greater generosity. Zacchaeus was generous because of God’s generous grace towards him. We give because God has given so much.
Love requires generosity. An old DC Talk song is titled, “Love is a Verb.” Though the grammar may not be exact, the principle remains true. Our love is shown not in the words we speak as much as in the deeds we do. In 1 John 3:16, we read, “This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us.” God’s love is shown in his generosity toward his children. We likewise must “love in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18), for this is true love. Your love will be known to others by your generosity.
Ministry is fueled by generosity. Part of the reason Paul wrote 2 Corinthians was to raise money for the Jerusalem Church. He encouraged them to give by telling them how generously the Macedonian church had given to the ministry and how, as a result of their giving, the Macedonians were sharing in the ministry (2 Corinthians 8:3-4). The ministry of the gospel is fueled, not by taxes levied by governments, but by the generosity of God’s people giving to God’s mission. The Old Testament commanded a tithe, but the New Testament seems to encourage something much greater – giving out of the abundance that God has given to you and in response to the grace he has shown. He has made his ministry dependent, in large part, on the generosity of his children. By being generous with the gifts God has given you, you are enabled to participate in the mission to which God has called his church in an even greater way.
Thompson– Lessons by Craig Thompson, pastor of Malvern Hill Church, Camden. Thompson earned his B.A from Presbyterian College and is pursuing a Ph.D. from Southern Seminary, where he also earned his M.Div.