Generosity and the lack of generosity are topics front and center in the media these days. The wealthy laud their own generosity even as the less fortunate criticize their lack of the same. Protestors line sidewalks to protest the greedy 1% while just a block or two away, a homeless man dies with an empty belly unseen by some of the 99% who think themselves his savior. If a man making a seven digit salary every quarter gives four digits to the poor, he’s praised by the media. When a single mother of four who works two jobs just to make ends meet buys a 99 cent hamburger for the man sleeping at the bus depot, no one’s there to pat her back. Some argue that the wealthy should help those with little or nothing. The wealthy argue that they DO help by providing jobs and services.
I argue that what we have isn’t ours to begin with. And yes, that runs counter-culture to the world we live in.
King David, a man who had been both a lowly shepherd and an exalted monarch, knew that EVERYTHING he had was due only to the grace of God.
"Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name."
1 Chronicles 29:10-13 ESV
Here’s a bit of background for that passage. King David wanted to build a temple to house the Ark of the Covenant. (See Raiders of the Lost Ark. Kidding. Try the Bible.) He offered gold, silver, bronze, iron, marble, wood and precious stones from his kingdom and then even more of the same from his personal portion. The highest ranking officials followed his example and did the same, which in turn inspired the rest of the Israelites to give what they had to the cause. Before it was all said and done, about 7 BILLION dollars (in today’s money) went into building the place and it was quite the beauty to behold…a house built not for a man but for the Lord God Himself.
The prayer that you just read came after the people of Israel had willingly given up all that they had for the building of the Temple. And what does David do? He gives God ALL the glory, knowing that the riches they had to give were not their riches to take glory in, but riches that had always belonged to God and were in their possession only because of His favor. He goes on from there…
“But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you.”
1 Chronicles 29:14-18 ESV
I recently had a brief discussion (read: argument) with a woman who, though she claimed to be a Christian, couldn’t seem to understand why an athlete like Tim Tebow would thank God for his victories on the field. “He should thank his teammates,” she said. “They were the ones who won him the game.” But, like King David, I think Tim knows that God gets the credit for everything that is: his health, his ability, the path through life that brought him to the NFL, the players on his team…that it’s all available to him because God has been generous to him. That, as the Creator of all, whatever glory there is can only belong to Him.
David gave away more riches than you and I will ever see. He set the tone for a nation and, when the people rose to the challenge and gave all they had to give, David gave all the glory to God and asked only that God keep that sort of generosity and goodness in their hearts—and that He direct their hearts toward Himself. Knowing how clueless and self-centered the Israelites could be from time to time, it doesn’t take much to imagine that someone in the crowd was thinking, “Hey, what about giving ME a little credit? I donated the opal for the front doorknob!”
This week, my friend Jason Webb and I launched a Crowdtilt campaign to lend a helping hand to Linda Badley, the mother of our friend, Scott. Linda is the kind of woman that does without so that others can have what they need. She raised three boys, has worked long hours at a stressful job and, in an economy where layoffs are the norm, Linda’s made do with less so that she can keep her employees working. Last week, Linda had a mild heart attack and, though her life was spared, her lack of medical insurance added the additional weight of a staggering medical bill to her already overburdened shoulders.
Jason and I launched our campaign because we’re broke. You see, I don’t have $100 to bless Linda with and help ease that burden. Jason doesn’t either. So, following the example of the Apostle Peter ( Acts 3:6,) we gave what we could—our talents—and pledged some incentives for anyone else who had a few dollars to spare on Linda’s behalf. Like King David, Jason and I realize that what we have to give is not our own. Whatever talents we possess are ours only by the grace of God. And what we’ve asked of others is that they recognize that the same is true for them.
The world runs counter to this Biblical truth. We’re told to take pride in our accomplishments. We’re told that money is for our pleasure. I. Me. Mine, mine, mine. We like to talk about our successes and victories and see ourselves as heroes in someone else’s story. We spend money on movies, video games, concerts and the latest iteration of the iPhone and then feel good about tossing a 20 dollar bill in the offering plate at church or the donation box that appears in the check-out line around the holidays. We embrace all our STUFF as though it has some eternal value, but that just isn’t true. My pastor has a saying that goes, “Everything you own—all the stuff you get such pleasure out of today—is the stuff of future garage sales and garbage piles.”
If everything we own is God’s to begin with, why are we so afraid to give? If He blessed us with much to begin with, do we fear He isn’t faithful to bless us again? If it’s all His anyway, and we’re just the stewards of it, why do we clutch it so tightly? Why can’t we freely give it away as He’s freely given it to us? I know it isn’t easy. My family lives paycheck to paycheck most of the time and even $10 can have an impact on our budget, but we pledged $10 to Linda because we realize that WHAT WE DO HAVE is ours only by the generosity of God. We can stretch our food budget. I can put off getting a haircut or fixing the printer. We can give because, had it not been given to us we wouldn’t have it to give.
In the end, stuff is just stuff. It may be nice, but we don’t NEED it. What we need is love, compassion and generosity. What we need is a new attitude. Like say:
“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”
Philippians 3:7-8 ESV
In Him,
J. Patrick Lemarr
If you can spare a few dollars for Linda Badley, our Crowdtilt campaign will be live for a few more days. I can’t promise that you’ll get a pat on the back for your effort, but I can assure you that it will bless a sweet lady immensely.
A Little Help For Linda – Crowdtilt Campaign
