A Heart of Generosity

Written by Pierce Finley

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

Heart behind generosity:

As I’ve continued to walk with Jesus, it has become clear how important a life of generosity is. It is far more than fulfilling an obligation - it is joining with God in one of his core characteristics. Our God is an abundantly generous God, and he invites us to live like him in our own acts of generosity. Giving our money, time, and attention to those in need is a great honor because it is a chief way for us to bear God’s image to the world around us. It is rooted in a deep trust that God will provide for us, as Jesus describes so well in the Sermon on the Mount. He provides for all of his creation (look at the flowers and the birds), and he will provide for us too. We don’t need to guard our possessions and build up a wall of wealth to protect ourselves. I think many Christians understand this heart for generosity, which is rooted in our Savior’s generosity, but I also think many of us (myself included) lack a vision for how expansive our generosity can be. We often hide behind the words “wisdom” and “stewardship” (which by themselves are great things to practice,) only to follow the cultural norms of amassing wealth, placing our security in our money instead of the one who gives it to us. I am mostly writing this to myself, as I have to repent of the idolatry of wealth and its perceived security with great frequency. If any of you can relate, here are a few practices that I have found help take money off the throne in my heart.

Practices of generosity:

Tithing is one simple practice that our brothers and sisters have practiced throughout the history of the church across many cultural lines. Put simply, this is the practice of giving 10% of your income to the local church. There is nothing magical about 10%, but there is something deeply valuable in just starting somewhere - so why not align that starting point with the historical and global church? If you aren’t giving at least 10% of your income away to the advancement of God’s kingdom locally and abroad, I would highly encourage you to set that goal. If you feel like you can’t, then I recommend two steps:

1. Genuinely reflect on why not. I know that there are many valid hesitations here, but it is important to reflect and make sure your reasons truly are rooted in godly wisdom and not fear, selfishness, or abiding by our worldly cultural standards. Consider reaching out to a trusted brother or sister to discuss what your barriers are.

2. After reflection, if you still find that 10% is too high right now, set a different goal. As I said, 10% is not a magical number, but having a specific goal to grow in generosity will work wonders. Once you hit that goal, increase it again! 10% is just a way to get started, not the final destination.

Some of you may have a different response to tithing. Maybe you already give 10%, and maybe you even find it easy. If you’re like me, you also have automatic withdrawals set up to give without even thinking about it - and that severely limits the opportunity for generosity to transform our hearts! For many people, giving 10% does not actually impact their livelihood at all, so a great next step is setting a personal “finish line” (even if giving 10% is hard right now, this is a good practice to start now). Setting a finish line means seriously considering how much money you/your family needs right now, and giving away everything beyond that. You can look at using a median family income as a starting point, or even consider what it would look like to limit your spending to the poverty line. If that sounds extreme, then good! In full transparency, our current finish line is not the poverty line - but it is worth considering what that would look like for your life. Setting a finish line is meant to do a few things:

1. Increase solidarity with the poor - by intentionally limiting how much money we can spend/save for ourselves, we will have to make sacrifices in our lifestyle that many people around the world are already forced to make due to lack of resources.

2. Combat lifestyle creep if income increases - you’ve already set a finish line to determine what you need, and any income increase means we get to give more away!

3. Limit the impact of consumerism, materialism, and wealth accumulation on our souls. This should combat both current spending and lavish saving that our society pushes so heavily. Evaluate how much you actually need to save for things like retirement, considering that some giving needs could be better met now rather than once you have amassed “enough” to feel secure in your giving (I personally wrestle a lot with what Luke 12:16-21 has to teach about the American model of retirement savings).

There is no “right” finish line, and it is very likely to change with life circumstances. The important thing is to combat our cultural norm that every dollar we make is for us - or the similar lie that 10% is for God, and everything else is for us. It is all a gift from God, and as 2 Corinthians 9:8-11 teaches, he gives us abundance so that we can abound all the more in giving! And finally, as you create more opportunities to give, remember that giving most powerfully transforms us and others when it is personal rather than transactional. Seek to actually connect with those you are supporting, learn their stories, and share some life together.

Next steps:

There is a lot more to consider here than what can fit in a succinct blog post (although this one really isn’t succinct). As such, I want to encourage a few next steps to better reflect and pursue generosity as a community of God’s children:

1. Pursue more financial transparency with a couple of trusted brothers/sisters. Talk through what is a good finish line, how well you are keeping to your goals, how you decide where to give and when, etc. Satan has done a great job in our culture of making the topic of money taboo, and it is a lot harder to grow without communal support and accountability! Important caveat - everyone involved has to be in sync that this is purely to help encourage each other, and not to impress each other with acts of generosity. Equally dangerous is the trap of giving to impress men rather than glorify God.

2. For those who have never thought with intentionality about your finances, we encourage you to join an 8 week group study that is designed to equip you to think more deeply about your finances and God's promises and create a financial plan.

3. Consider attending a Journey of Generosity (JOG) mini-retreat. This is a time set aside to do what we are often told not to do - talk about money and how to grow in generosity, and it is in a shame-free atmosphere. There are no asks for money at a JOG, but there are a lot of great stories about how other brothers and sisters have tried to grow in the discipline of generosity. The stories are great ways to expand our vision for what generosity can look like, and then discuss practical applications with other believers. If you would consider attending one, please reach out to myself or the church staff. I enjoy hosting them, and there are several other opportunities to attend in the Triangle area if you’d like another option.

If you would like to learn more about the 8-week study, the JOG mini-retreat, or if you don’t have anyone you feel is in a similar place to pursue accountability with, please reach out to a staff member and we will help connect you.