Giving: It All Gets Back to the Best That God Gave

Now that we’ve gotten past Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it’s officially Christmas season. Santa Claus, the Grinch and the Clydesdales are figuring prominently in TV commercials. Most radio stations are playing carols (for those of us who still listen to the radio). Heartwarming, timeless Christmas movies are reappearing on networks, cable stations and streaming services. Ads on smartphone apps are teasing us with intriguing gift suggestions. And today’s “Giving Tuesday.” What says Christmas more than that? 

Giving is something we can – and should – practice year-round, but Christmastime has always been regarded as “the season of giving.” There are many reasons for this, but none better than being reminded about the greatest gift of all: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:16-17).

 

God “so loved the world that He gave….” In the Bible we find the Lord giving and giving and giving, even though we’re so undeserving. That’s a topic for discussion in itself, but considering that our Creator has given so much, how can we not be inspired to give as well?

 

Ironically, it’s not hard to turn the ‘season of giving’ around and make it the ‘season for receiving.’ We compile lists of wants, ready to share them with anyone who might be inclined to give us something for Christmas. I know, having spent many a Christmas season eagerly anticipating what might be inside the brightly wrapped and bowed gifts awaiting me under the tree.

 

But Jesus’ statement that it’s “more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35) isn’t a simple, nice-sounding platitude. It’s as profound a declaration as we can find anywhere. Because when we give to others we also receive, even if not in a tangible sense.

 

For more than 20 years I benefited directly from the generosity of others. Working with parachurch ministries, I had the responsibility for raising my financial support, as do missionaries who serve the Lord in foreign lands. If my support wasn’t there, there was no paycheck. So, I had great appreciation for the many people who believed in the work God had called me to do. They didn’t have to be coerced – they eagerly wanted to help in making that possible, often saying they considered it a privilege.

 

One byproduct of this was cultivating my own enthusiasm for helping to support causes the Lord has placed on my heart. It was humbling to know people cared enough to invest in the work I was doing. Often Jesus’ statement came to mind that, “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return” (Luke 12:48). It truly is a joy to participate in what God’s doing in so many areas, and giving financially is one means for doing that.

 

At this time of year, I’m also reminded of a statement made many years ago by Bob Lupton, who had established an inner-city ministry in Atlanta. Experience had taught him a simple reality for the poor. He said, “The greatest poverty is the inability to give.” What I understood this to mean is that always being a recipient and never a giver can be discouraging, even demeaning.

 

We find this illustrated in the Scriptures. Writing to Christ followers in Corinth, the apostle Paul observed, “…the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability…they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in the service of the saints” (2 Corinthians 8:1-4).

 

Can you imagine being so impoverished and yet pleading to be allowed to give materially to support others? That’s genuine giving, determining to give even when it hurts.

 

Which brings us back to God’s greatest gift, taking on human flesh not only to teach, to minister to people in need, and to give us an example to follow, but also to give His own life to satisfy the penalty for our sins. As Paul wrote to one of the men he was mentoring, “…we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness, and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:13-14).

 

This Christmas season, let’s try to avoid having the distractions of the sparkling lights, lilting holiday songs and festively colored packages take our focus off this “blessed hope.”  

Giving . . . Until It Helps

One thing I like about social media – and admittedly there are things I don’t like – is what you can learn that doesn’t make headlines in traditional media. For instance, author J.K. Rowling (you’ve heard of her “Harry Potter” books, right?) is reported to have become the first billionaire to fall from the Forbes World’s Billionaires list – because of charitable giving.

Lots of rich folks have been deleted from the list simply because they no longer possessed a net worth of more than a billion bucks. But apparently, Rowling’s the first to be eliminated because she’s too generous. Seems that rather than being a free spender, she’s become a free giver.

The report said she offered a simple explanation: “You have a moral responsibility when you’ve been given far more than you need, to do wise things with it and give intelligently.”

I don’t know about you, but this seems like the proverbial breath of fresh air. There are other mega-wealthy individuals known for their largesse, notably Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, who donate huge percentages of their incomes to causes they support. And just because Rowling’s now been “downgraded” to the ranks of multi-millionaires doesn’t mean she’ll have to fret over becoming a ward of the state any time soon.

But in these days when we hear so much about the needs of the oppressed, the down-and-out and the disenfranchised, it’s refreshing to hear about someone who’s as interested in doing something about it as saying something about it.

I know virtually nothing about Rowling. (I may be one of the few people who’s never read a Harry Potter book, or viewed one of his movies for that matter.) So I don’t know what sorts of charitable causes she favors. But at least she’s acting on her convictions enough to become a member of the “I Used to Be a Billionaire” club.

Chances are, you’re not a billionaire. So it would be easy to offer the excuse, “Well, if I were a billionaire, I’d give a lot of it away, too!” But we’ve all heard of billionaires and millionaires that share a common attitude toward their money: “It’s mine, mine, mine!” It seems how much you have isn’t really the determinant of how generous you are.

Rowling was hardly the first to recognize a responsibility for using one’s resources to help others. Jesus Christ made this statement about 2,000 years ago: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more” (Luke 12:48).

Elsewhere, in preparing His disciples to go out on their first missionary foray, Jesus told them, “Freely you have received; freely give” (Matthew 10:8).

So even if we’re not a Rowling and never will be, the underlying principle is worth considering. For example: How do you feel when the pastor starts talking about money during his sermon, teaching what the Bible says about financial stewardship? Or when you’re watching a PBS drama or seeing a video of “golden oldies” music, and they have the nerve to interrupt your enjoyment of the program by asking you to support the network?

Do you think, “Well, that preacher done stopped preachin’ and started meddlin’”? Do you feel resentful that they would ask for your money? Do you protectively reach for your wallet or purse, as if they were planning to snatch it away from you?

Yes, we all have needs – along with our share of wants. But if we have a car, a decent place to live, a computer and access to the Internet, we’re wealthier than most people around the world. So it’s not a question of whether we can give. The issue is, are we willing to give?

So while pondering the “moral responsibility” to give, perhaps it might be good also to consider the privilege we have of giving to assist those with needs we don’t have. We just might discover the reality of what Jesus asserted: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

To Whom Much Is Given…

We hear a lot these days about the “1 percenters,” individuals and families that purportedly earn and possess wealth in amounts greater than 99 percent of the rest of the population. Without intending to get into a political discourse on this topic, I couldn’t help but wonder – just who are these “one percent”? What are the qualifications for entering such an exclusive, elite assembly of affluence?

These questions are relevant because chances are you and I don’t belong in this group. Instead, we’re firmly entrenched somewhere in “the lower 99 percent.”

These ancient coins are similar to those used by the
woman giving the so-called "widow's mite." She also
was a member of the "one percent" - but in her case,
the bottom one percent.

According to various descriptions, the one percent consist of people with median annual household incomes of $750,000, and median assets of $7.5 million. There are an estimated 1.2 million of them across the country. So, do you qualify? Are you ready to apply for your “one percent” ID card? I’m certain in this case membership does have its privileges.

Before proceeding to my main point, I have one observation: When we hear pundits in the national media and outspoken politicians railing against the "one percent," as well as noted entertainers and even some pro athletes, it’s helpful to realize most of them are well-established members of the "one percent" themselves.

Top news anchors, happy-faced hosts of network morning news shows, nighttime talk show stars – and even many leading national politicians on both sides of the aisle – have amassed net worths into the seven and eight figures, and in some cases, well beyond that. You know the stars from TV and the movies we enjoy so much, strolling those red carpets? Yup, many of them are “closet one-percenters.” So when we hear high-sounding criticisms of the up-and-outers, consider the sources.

But as I’ve already stated, most of us don’t dwell in the highest realms of personal finances – and never expect to be. So does that authorize us to look down (or perhaps, up) our noses in disdain, condemning the rich and famous for their greed and seemingly selfish, lofty lifestyles?

It’s true that Jesus told His followers, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more” (Luke 12:48). But just as we may ponder what comprises “one percent” status, exactly how do we define “much”?

Years ago Ronald Blue, financial advisor to many wealthy people, recalled a comment by a world-renowned affluent industrialist who was asked, “How much is enough?” The business magnate without a blink or hesitation replied, “Just a little bit more.” So it seems that regardless of how vastly resourced one might be, “much” can be seen as just a bit more than what you’ve got.

We can mutter and complain about the one percent that we perceive as accumulating too much at the expense of others. But as Jesus told one of His disciples in an admittedly different context, “…what is that to you? You must follow Me” (John 21:22).

While we may point to the seeming injustice, we’re not responsible for how others use or misuse their resources. But we are fully responsible for the resources God has seen fit to give to us. In fact, He’s telling us that if we’d like to have more to share with others, it would be best to start by being generous in sharing from what we already have.

Speaking of our responsibilities before God as stewards of what He provides, Jesus said, “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much” (Luke 16:10). As I’ve pondered this statement, Jesus seems to be assuring us that if we’re faithful to properly use what He’s entrusted to us, we can expect to be entrusted with more – to use in a similar manner. At the same time, He’s also saying if we’re not faithful in the use of what He’s given, why should we expect to receive more?

Another time Jesus observed a poor woman in an act that’s served as a glowing example of selfless generosity. “As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow putting in two very small copper coins. ‘I tell you the truth,’ he said, ‘this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on’” (Luke 21:1-4).

Sure, we can all look at others and conclude, “They could be doing more.” Maybe a lot more. But the question confronting us is not how much others are giving. The question is, how much are we giving? What are we doing to enhance the well-being of others, whether in terms of money, time, or the unique gifts and talents God has entrusted to us?

Hopefully the wildly affluent – those inhabiting the select one-percent income class – will determine to give more freely to help others, especially those saddled with heavy economic burdens they can’t seem to escape. Ideally, without the force of government legislation. In the meantime, we’d each be wise to honestly assess what we’re doing to assist others.

It could involve giving more to worthwhile charitable causes. It might mean finding someone in your church or your neighborhood that could use some kind of help. Or it may just mean giving an extra big tip for the hard-working server at the restaurant, rather than settling for the bare minimum. If we all willingly did our part, who knows how many millions could benefit – even if the “one percent” chose to do nothing more than they’re doing right now?