Living GenerouslySample

Generous With Wealth

Our culture is fixated on money, and it’s difficult not to get sucked into the obsession. The truth is what we work so hard for isn’t ours in the first place. That makes it easier to give it away. Jim Sheppard summarises the five stages of giving with five questions. Each stage takes us a step closer to understanding God’s generous heart and how He wants us to use the resources He’s given us.

Stage 1: What do I do with what I earn?

Stage 2: What do I do with what God has given me?

Stage 3: What does God want me to do with what God has given me?

Stage 4: What does God want me to give from what God has provided?

Stage 5: What does God want me to keep from what God has provided?

Think about which question you’re asking, and what it would take for you to move on to the next question. The move from asking ourselves how much of our money we should give away to how much of God’s money we should keep is a gamechanger when it comes to generous giving.

Mary saw what she had as God’s, so in pouring out the perfume she was just giving back what was already His. Her gift to Jesus cost a year’s salary. It was incredibly extravagant. Again, Mary had just witnessed Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, which made any gift to Jesus utterly insignificant in comparison. The key to unlocking generosity is the realization of God’s extraordinary love for us. Mary was overwhelmed by this love and gave generously in response. If you have a nagging sense that you should be living more generously, don’t look at your bank statement or a spreadsheet. Look at the Christ’s life to learn afresh what divine generosity is.

Mary’s generosity with her wealth is immensely difficult for us to live up to because we live in a world telling us we are what we earn and own. There are limitless enticing ways to spend ‘our’ money, and crushing social expectations of what we should buy and how we should live. To emulate Mary’s generosity is difficult, but possible. The word ‘goodness’ in Galatians 5:22 can be translated ‘generosity’, meaning it’s part of the fruit that grows in a Spirit-infused life. The divine paradox is we can’t respond generously to God’s generosity without His help. Praying God gives us the spiritual gift of generosity is the starting point for a generous life. And of course, the irony is we receive more than we give. My challenge to you is to be intentional about planning for generosity. You might want to try the 1% challenge, in which every year you aim to give away 1% more of your net income.

Mary shows us that our generosity with wealth should be who we are and not just a spontaneous act. It’s a beautiful reflection of the gospel at work in our hearts and lives. As generosity becomes ever more who we are, we become ever more like our generous Creator.