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40 Things NOT to Give up for Lent: 31.Generosity

40 Things NOT to Give up for Lent: 31.Generosity

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. (2 Corinthians 9:6, ESV)

2 Corinthians 9:6 is one of the most powerful passages of Scripture. It is common sense, but it is not common practice. Many of us sow sparingly but hope to reap abundantly.

There is often a correlation between debt and generosity. I don’t have any verification of this as fact but see it more as a general observation. Those who are most in debt are often the least generous. On the one hand, there is an excuse not to be generous because of the debt. But even more important is the mindset that leads to debt.

Debt is caused by a spirit of poverty. There is a perception of scarcity. It is the idea that I need to hold on to what I have and not let it go. I will hoard what I have in fear that I will be left in want. This spirit makes me especially susceptible to be manipulated into thinking I need things I can’t afford to make me content, happy, and fulfilled.

The spirit of poverty has its grip on many of us. It’s got its grip on many churches and ministries. Our effectiveness is thwarted by worrying about “paying the bills.”

The antidote to perceived scarcity is to practice generosity. We cannot out-give God. A more abundant harvest comes as a result of planting more seed. The more seed that is planted this year will result in the ability to plant even more seed in the following year.

Instead of living with perceived scarcity, recognize the abundance of God. Recognize that he is the provider. Recognize that the one who gave you everything you have can give you even more.

In the Parable of the Talents (see Luke 19:11-27), the first two servants put to work what the master had given them. God prospers their work and the result is that they were entrusted with more. God rewards faithfulness. The third servant hoarded what he had. But in the end even what little he had was taken away. It was not about what they had. It was about what they did with what they had.

Eliminating debt starts with eliminating the mindset that causes debt. Live faithfully with what you have been given and trust in God’s supply. Loosen your grip on stuff to allow yourself to take hold of God’s blessings.

Thank You

On a separate but similar note, I want to say a big thank you to the readers of Greater Things. You are awesome. On Monday, I shared an invitation to help us fund 20,000 meals for the children of Haiti. I don’t have access to know where the funds came from, but what I was able to see was that our two-week fundraising effort doubled in one day. We went from having raised $2500 to over $5000 in one day. We are now less than $1000 from our fundraising goal to bring this event to NJ. And we still have two months from the day of the event. The fact that these funds came in on the day I made the appeal to you leads me to believe that you responded. So thank you on behalf of the children you are helping to feed.

$5,037 of $6000 raised towards fundraising goal
20,000 meal fundraising effort as of Wednesday morning (April 4).

The challenge now becomes how many more meals we can provide. Once we hit $6000, every additional $.30 is one more meal. How many will we ultimately be able to send? Will it be 40,000 or 60,000 or even 100,000? God is good. If you would like to help visit haitianchildrensministry.org/food.

Reflection
  1. Do you agree or disagree that debt and lack of generosity are related?
  2. How has a lack of generosity been detrimental in your life?
  3. How can you specifically practice generosity with your time, treasure, and talent?

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Giving up the Spirit of Poverty

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Week 3: Monday

Scripture Verses

  • Matthew 25:14–30
  • 2 Corinthians 9:6–15
  • Matthew 6:19–24

Questions to Consider

  • How is living with a spirit of poverty different from living in poverty?
  • Why do we fear there is not enough?
  • How is generosity the antidote to the spirit of poverty?
  • Why is money one of the truest measures of our trust in God and our understanding of grace?
  • How does Jesus help us to overcome a spirit of poverty?

Plan of Action

While not limiting yourself to money, consider one way in the next week you can practice generosity towards:

  • Your spouse
  • Your children
  • You co-workers
  • Your friends
  • Your community
  • Your church

Reflection

A couple of years ago I took my daughter on a special daddy-daughter date night. Since it was a special evening for my daughter, she got to choose whatever restaurant she wanted. It was not too difficult of a choice for her. She wanted to go to McDonald’s and get a Happy Meal.

So we proceeded to the closest McDonald’s and I ordered her a Happy Meal. We sat down at our table and began to eat. At one point while we were eating I asked her if I could have one of her fries. Her response was: “No, mine!”

My thought in that moment was: “who bought you those fries? Who is able to buy you even more fries?” The only reason she had those fries in the first place was because I had bought them for her. What my daughter didn’t realize was that I was able to supply her with more fries than she would ever be able to eat. But she was living with a spirit of poverty. Her fear was that she did not have enough fries and would run out. She failed to consider the source of her fries.

That is how it is with God. He gives us everything we have. We don’t possess one thing apart from him giving it to us. We may earn our paycheck and buy things with the money we receive. But ultimately it is God who gave us the ability to earn a paycheck in the first place.

Living with a spirit of poverty is not the same thing as living in poverty. Living with a spirit of poverty is living with the fear there is not enough. Living with a spirit of poverty fails to recognize that God is the source of everything we need. The spirit of poverty focuses on what “we can afford” versus what “God can do.” We forget God’s ability to provide and we limit ourselves to what we can earn.

Many churches are stuck in a spirit of poverty. They forget God is the one who pays the bills. They fear not having enough. The ministry becomes about pinching pennies rather than sowing the seeds of the gospel. When the focus is put on preserving rather than growing, the ministry will become less than effective.

This was why Jesus sent his disciples in Matthew10:5–15 without anything for the journey. The focus was to rely upon God and know he would provide everything for the journey. If we have God on our side, there is nothing more we need. Effective ministry starts with being faithful to him and trusting in his supply.

The opposite of living with a spirit of poverty is living a generous life. It is living with the mindset that God calls us to use what he has entrusted to us. He calls us not to bury our treasure but to put it to work. If we fail to use what he gives us in ways that he intends us to use it, he will give it to someone else. (see Matthew 25:14–30)

If we want to see a model of generosity, we look to God himself. Jesus our Savior gave us his life upon the cross. We are given the most precious gift of all through Jesus. There is nothing greater he could give. He gave everything. He held nothing back. This is the greatest showing of generosity of all time. If he will give us this greatest gift, is there anything else he would withhold from us for our good and his glory? He has riches in store beyond what we can ever imagine. Every time we take a step of faith to live generously, it builds our trust in his unlimited supply.

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