In this week's episode of the Text-Driven Podcast, we discuss how Christians should think about money and how the purpose of money is for the Kingdom of God. In that, we also briefly touched on the concept of generosity. Therefore, in today's Text-Driven article, we want to share some thoughts from Scripture on the importance of generosity and how the man who is truly rich is the man who is the most generous.
Proverbs 11:24-25
"There is one who scatters, yet increases more;
And there is one who withholds more than is right,
But it leads to poverty.
The generous soul will be made rich,
And he who waters will also be watered himself."
Proverbs 11:24-25 shows an interesting contrast that does not appear to make much sense at first glance. This proverb seems to contradict the American mindset and proverb, "A penny saved is a penny earned." This proverb says that the one who scatters, or as another translation puts it, the one who gives freely, is the one who gains wealth. Yet, the one who withholds more when he should give will end up impoverished. Verse 25 then doubles down on this idea and says that the generous soul will be made rich, and the person who takes care of others will be taken care of. It is not the one who keeps his money that will become rich but rather the one who is generous with his money. This proverb teaches us that before we adopt any financial plans, open any savings accounts, or buy into cryptocurrency, an accounting of the heart is necessary. Proverbs clearly shows that amassing wealth is not a wrong thing. Instead, Proverbs demonstrates that wealth should be the good outcome of doing right. So, if you desire to be wealthy, the starting point is having a generous heart.
This requires an accounting of the heart. Just like at the end of each month, you may need to balance your accounts to make sure all your bills have been paid; you need to balance your heart to make sure you are generous. Is your soul generous?
2 Corinthians 9:7
"So let each one give as he purposes in his heart,
not grudgingly or of necessity;
for God loves a cheerful giver."
2 Corinthians 9:7 then gives the standard for that accounting of the heart and how to know if your soul is generous. This verse gives five questions to ask to know if you have a generous soul.
First, do you give? A generous heart begins by looking at the hands. A generous heart will always have the accompanying action of giving. You cannot claim to have a generous heart if you've never proven it in action. So, if you want a generous soul that leads to wealth, you first have to actually give.
Second, do you give as you purpose in your heart? To phrase this another way, do you give because you want to or because you're told to? A generous soul shouldn't need to be reminded to tithe. A generous soul shouldn't need to be told to help family and friends in need. So, if you want a generous soul, you need to be self-motivated to give.
Third, do you give grudgingly? A generous soul does not just give but gladly gives. When presented with an opportunity to be generous and give, do you do so wishing that you hadn't? Does writing out the check make you upset? In that moment, even if you give exponentially, you are not being generous.
Fourth, do you give because you have to? The government has told a lie that paying your taxes means you're helping those in need. Setting aside the politics of that statement, even in a hypothetical world where the government actually did help people, paying your taxes alone still would not be a sign of a generous soul. If you only give when required to give, that nullifies generosity. A generous heart must be willing to give when no one is forcing you to give. This includes societal pressure as well. If the only time you give is when society expects you to, that is giving out of necessity and does not betray a generous soul.
Lastly, do you give cheerfully? Not only do you have to give, not only do you have to give out of self-motivation, not only do you have to give without being begrudged, and not only do you have to give without requirement, you have to be actively joyful about giving. When you give to your local church, to your children, to a struggling neighbor, or to the down-on-her-luck single mom, you should do so with great joy. A generous heart is delighted in giving.
Conclusion
In the concept of Text-Driven Work, generosity is vital. If a heart is not generous, then the believer's work and toil is pointless. In Ephesians 4:28, Paul asserts that the reason the former thief should labor with his own hands is so that he can be generous and give to those in need. Your work will never lead to wealth, and, more importantly, your work will never fulfill God's purpose in your labor if you do not have a generous heart. The accounting of the soul is vital for work to be worthwhile.
Written by Klayton Carson
The "Text-Driven Work" series is also on the Text-Driven Podcast. You can listen to the Text-Driven Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or at www.textdriven.org/podcasts. New episodes are released every Monday, just in time for your morning commute.
Comments