generous LIFE

Generosity is on everyone's mind these days. It's all over the place--blogs, twitter, newspapers, and TV ads. And it's really cool that people are actually answering the call. The Bible talked a TON about being generous with our resources. Just look at the metaphor of the sheep and the goats in the book of Matthew. Take notice of how Jesus refers to Himself as "the King" here in this passage. The King is the brother to the hungry, the sick, the imprisoned. And in whatever way we help them, we're helping the King.

But here's the thing--you don't have to be a Christian to be generous. Plenty of people who follow other religions, or those who profess no religion at all, are givers. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul says, "If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing." Giving away your resources is pointless unless you love God and love others. If you give because you recognize that your possessions are not your own anyway, and you know you've been blessed by God, then your generosity becomes something that lays up a treasure for you in heaven. But it's not about laying up treasure. If you're giving for that purpose of getting a treasure, do you really love others?

Sometimes I wonder if this whole generosity is just a fad that's become popular these days. At Grace, with the Generous Life Campaign, we're not trying to start or participate in a fad. We're trying to work together to become people who are characterized by a generous LIFE. A life that is lived as a response to our generous God. One that continues regularly in not just tithing, but giving.

Just like many other habits in life, it's a daily decision. It goes against our grain. So each day we have to renew our commitment to loosen our grip on our stuff. You know that feeling you get when you look at your bank account, or you turn on the news and Charlie Gibson starts out, "More bad news on wall street today..." That feeling is fear. God wants to replace your fear with FAITH. And he wants to do it for the rest of your life.