Returning to my earlier question, What is it that makes all this so addictive?
First, it helps us keep a healthy balance. "But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge
The Charming Joy of Grace Giving
and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also" (2 Cor. 8:7).
In many a church there is faith; there is good teaching ("utterance"), a working knowledge of the Christian life; there is zeal, spiritual passion, and a great deal of love . . . but generosity? A superabundant willingness to give? Often, that is the one ingredient conspicuous by its absence. How easy to take, to be blessed, instructed, encouraged, exhorted, affirmed, and strengthened—all those things received in abundance—yet fail to balance the receiving with our giving.
Did you notice how Paul refers to financial support? He calls it "this gracious work" . . . and he exhorts us to "abound" in it. The Christian life takes on a healthy balance when our taking in and giving out stay in step. You and I feel closer to the Savior because that is what He did ... He gave. "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich" (2 Cor. 8:9).
Study those words for a moment. Here was someone who was rich, imminently rich. At his disposal was the wealth of heaven, so mind-boggling it is beyond description. Yet He left it all as He came to give Himself for us. Why? That we, in turn, might pick up the riches of His life and follow His model.
The second reason why giving is addictive is that in giving we model the same grace of Jesus Christ. I am impressed that the verse of Scripture doesn't say, "for you know the obligation of the Lord Jesus Christ," or, "You know the sense of duty," though that is true. It was a duty that He come to earth. But Paul doesn't write: "You know the requirement" or "You know the sacrifice." No, he mentions only the grace. When our Lord Jesus left heaven, He didn't leave gritting His teeth and clenching His fists, shouting "Okay . . . OKAY!" It wasn't obligation ... it was grace that motivated Him to come. It was grace within Him that brought Him to Bethlehem as a little baby. It was grace within Him that allowed His hands and feet to be pierced with nails, and grace within Him to say, "Father,
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forgive them. They do not know what they are doing." When you give, knowing there will be no gift in return, you have modeled the purest form of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. It will help if you think about giving in that way.
Third, giving by grace is addictive because in doing so we counteract selfishness and covetousness. Read slowly and carefully the first five verses of 2 Corinthians 9.
For it is superfluous for me to write to you about this ministry to the saints; for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the Macedonians, namely, that Achaia has been prepared since last year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them. But I have sent the brethren, that our boasting about you may not be made empty in this case, that, as I was saying, you may be prepared; lest if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to speak of you) should be put to shame by this confidence. So I thought it necessary to urge the brethren that they would go on ahead to you and arrange beforehand your previously promised bountiful gift, that the same might be ready as a bountiful gift, and not affected by covetousness.
Sometime in the past the Corinthians had promised that they would participate in an offering to answer needs in Jerusalem. But for some reason they had left their promise. Their pledge had begun to wear thin. So Paul writes, in effect, "I just want to prod you a little and say you need to finish what you said you were going to do. I don't want your covetousness to get the best of you."
It can, can't it? Have you gotten a raise within the last twelve months? Isn't it easy, when that happens, for covetousness to take charge? Something we had wished we could own is now within reach. We come into a little money, whether it is a nice income-tax refund check or from some unexpected source, and it is easy for greed to cause a pledge to wear thin or a previous promise ("Lord, if I made more, I'd give more!") to be forgotten. And, by the way, this is a good time to insert: It is
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better to emphasize someone's giving rather than someone's income. I think Americans are enamored over how much people make. Frankly, that's the wrong thing to talk about. If I read the Scriptures correctly, I don't find the Lord's concern resting on what one makes nearly so much as on what one gives.
In an article entitled "Planned Giving—Legalism or Love?" which appeared in Moody Monthly magazine, May 1986, Sylvia and John Ronsvalle stated that "the average church member gives only 2.5 percent of his income to the church." 1 I've also heard my longtime friend and financial counselor, Ron Blue, frequently mention in his seminars:
If all Christians were reduced to a welfare income and they tithed on that amount, the church would double its receipts.
In working with our clients, it has been our experience that, with planning, their giving goes up, on an average, about four times what they were giving prior to doing planning.
The problem is not a lack of desire to give, but more so confusion because of the tremendous uncertainty and conflicting advice we live with on a day-to-day basis. 2
Wise words from a trustworthy source.
In his book, Human Options, Norm Cousins mentions a fact that surprised me.
The cash lost each year in the United States amounts to about seventy-five dollars per capita—money that has fallen out of pockets, is misplaced, and so forth. The total average income for most of the human occupants on this planet comes to about sixty-nine dollars per person annually. The average American thus loses more money each year than almost anyone else earns. . . .
The essential problem in a computerized age remains the same as it has always been. That problem is not solely how to be more productive, more comfortable, more content, but how to be more sensitive, more sensible, more proportionate, more alive. 3
The Charming Joy of Grace Giving
I live in Orange County, adjacent to Los Angeles County in Southern California. One of our local newspapers recently reported some disappointing statistics:
Orange County residents are making more money but sharing less of it with charities, the Orange County Annual Survey found.
Compared with charitable giving elsewhere in the country, the average Orange County resident could pass for Ebenezer Scrooge.
The 1987 survey found the average annual donation in Orange County was $262—"unduly low" for the then-median income of $42,000, according to the survey.
But giving was even less in 1988. The average annual contribution plummeted 30 percent to $182, even though median annual income grew by 5 percent, to $44,000. . . .
The rate of donation declined from 0.6 percent of income in 1987 to 0.4 percent in 1988. A Gallup Poll released in October found that even the least-generous people nationally contributed an average of 1.5 percent of their annual income. 4
The secret is not making more money. No one ever changed his or her giving pattern strictly because of increased income. I repeat, the focus should not be on the amount of money someone makes. Our Lord rarely emphasized that. Rather, His concern is on what one gives and the importance of releasing it in grace. What a wonderful way to counteract selfishness and covetousness. You will find that when grace awakens within you, selfishness will no longer win the day! It will be defeated and finally eclipsed by generosity.
Let me mention a fourth reason generosity based on grace is so addictive. You can't help but be generous when grace consumes you. "Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully" (2 Cor. 9:6).
Here is an encouraging verse for anyone who fears that giving more will result in "running out." If I read these words
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correctly, the bountif
ul sower becomes that kind of reaper. I cannot explain the magic, the beauty, and the wonder of it all, but this much I know for sure: We cannot outgive our God.
WHAT MAKES GRACE SO ATTRACTIVE?
Beginning in 2 Corinthians 9, verse 6, through the end of the chapter, I discover four things that make grace so attractive, not just at the Christmas season, but all through the year. In verse 7 we are told: "Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart. . . ."
Here is the first reason grace is so attractive: Grace individualizes the gift. When you give by grace, you give individually. You give proportionately to your own income. You have needs and you have an income to meet those needs. That combination is unlike anyone else's on earth. You are an individual. When you give on that basis, your gift is an individual kind of gift. We are not all shoved into a tank, blended together, then "required" to give exactly 10 percent. (Though if everyone gave 10 percent, we would have such an enormous surplus in God's work we would not know what to do with the extra . . . but I'm sure we'd quickly find out.) It is much more individualized than that. Grace, remember, brings variety and spontaneity.
If you are married, how about regularly discussing your giving plans with your mate? Or if you are single and you have a job where your salary is increasing, and you respect your parents and their giving habits, how about talking over with them a game plan for giving during this next year? By discussing it, you can discover ways to individualize your style of giving. Paul puts it this way: "Each one do just as he purposed in his heart."
You know our problem? Most folks don't "purpose"; they don't plan, they impulsively react. But God says, "Let each one do just as he purposed in his heart." Think of how carefully
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you would plan a room addition. You leave nothing to chance, making certain not to miss one detail, one electrical socket in your planning, one window placement, or one place where you will or will not use carpet. You purpose and plan exactly how you want to add on to the house. I challenge you to do the same with your giving. Give grace a chance! Start with planning, praying, and thinking it through. Determine the amount and where your gift will go, and when, and then release it with joy.
The second reason grace is so attractive: Grace makes the action joyfully spontaneous. ". . . not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver" (v. 7).
I never have been able to understand why everyone in the church looks so serious during the offering. Wouldn't it be great if when the offering plates are passed in church next Sunday instead of grim looks, stoic silence, and soft organ music you heard laughter? I can just imagine: "Can you believe we're doing this?" "Put it in the plate, honey. Isn't this great? Put it in!" . . . followed by little ripples of laughter and applause across the place of worship. Wonderful! Why not? Deep within the heart there is an absence of any compulsion, only spontaneous laughter. The word cheerful is literally a Greek term from which we get the word hilarious. "God loves a hilarious giver."
I have said all through my ministry, and I repeat it again: If your giving isn't done with hilarity, don't bother. Giving is not for the unbeliever or for those who are grim and resentful. Such giving will not be blessed. The best kind of giving has no strings attached.
In an excellent and creative article titled "The Gift of Giving," author Calvin Miller addresses what I'm getting at.
The wise men started it all, some say. Still, I like the way the Magi gave their gifts, for they presumably returned "to the East" without expecting Mary and Joseph to give them anything in return.
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Their gifts were meant for the baby Jesus, but there seemed to be no . . . obligation in their giving. . . .
Often at Christmas, gifts become a subtle power play, resulting in obligation. Such gifts may subtly say, "While my gift appears free, repay me in kind," or "Enjoy this, Joe, but you owe me one now. ..."
Let me suggest two ways to give a grace gift.
First, be sure it's impossible to measure the cost of your gift. My daughter's Italian mother-in-law has taught her to cook authentic Italian foods. So when my daughter wants to please me most, she fills a bowl with meatballs swimming in her marvelous marinara sauce, and I am content through long winters. . . .
Second, realize that non-material gifts are the best way to say, "Don't try to pay me back." . . .
One friend promised to pray for me all through the Christmas season. Another friend who knows I am fond of Shakespeare gave me a book of Shakespearean quotes from his personal library. 5
You see, as I write about giving in this chapter, I am not limiting my remarks to money. Don't worry, monetary generosity will fall into place when grace is in place. Money will take care of itself.
Now for a third reason grace is so attractive: Grace enables us to link up with God's supply line. Look at verse 8: "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed." When we possess an attitude of grace, we give. We give ourselves. We give from what we earn. And He, in turn, gives back in various ways, not matching gift for gift, but in an abundance of ways, He goes beyond.
Fourth: Grace leads to incomparable results.
Because of the proof given by this ministry they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for the liberality of your contribution to them and
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to all, while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. (2 Cor. 9:13-14)
As I read these verses, I find at least three results I would call "incomparable":
1. Others give God the glory.
2. They learn, by example, to be generous.
3. The relationship transcends any gift we give.
Allow me one final bit of counsel: Once you begin to give on the basis of grace, do so confidentially. In plain English, keep your mouth closed. Keep the extent of your giving to yourself. Ideally, do so anonymously. And He who rewards in secret will fulfill His part of the bargain.
The "apostle of grace" concludes this lengthy section on giving by announcing, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" (v. 15). Paul had a pretty good vocabulary, but when he attempted to describe God's gift of Christ he ran out of Greek words. He simply couldn't find a word for it, so he admits it is indescribable.
GOD'S ALL-TIME CHRISTMAS GIFT
Once again, I am reminded of Christmas . . . God's "indescribable" Gift to us, the greatest example of grace giving in the history of time. Holding nothing back, He cared enough to send the best gift of all. When you stop and think about it, He chose the Gift we needed most.
This past Christmas I received a boost of encouragement through numerous cards, colorful greetings, and meaningful letters. Among them was a simple white sheet of paper— no name, no address, not even a postmark on the envelope in which it came. Printed in beautiful calligraphy on the center of
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the sheet was a message that captures the essence of God's grace in sending us His Son.
If our greatest need had been information,
God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology,
God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money,
God would have sent us an economist. If our greatest need had been pleasure,
God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need was forgiveness,
so God sent us a Saviour! 6
On that first Christmas morning, when Mary first unwrapped God's "indescribable" Gift, grace awakened.
14
Grace: It's Really Accepting
*
VVhei
hen I began this book I stated in the opening chapter that grace is really amazing. As I write the closing chapter, I want to emphasize that grace is really accepting as well.
It not only gives with joyful generosity, it receives with grateful humility. When a person truly experiences a "grace awakening" and begins to understand and demonstrate the kind of love I have been describing, there is not only the amazing desire to extend encouragement, affirmation, support, and reassurance to others, there is also an accepting attitude that allows others to reciprocate in like manner. As easy and simple as that may sound, it is neither. In fact, it cuts cross-grain against our natural tendency to be self-sufficient and invulnerable. Before you reject that thought, think realistically. Just how open and accepting are you when others extend unexpected and undeserved grace in your direction?
THE FLIP SIDE OF SEVERAL STRENGTHS
We who believe so firmly in the pursuit of strong character often forget that such pursuits have a downside. I can think of four off the top of my head.
First, with a commitment to excellence there comes an attitude of intolerance. There is absolutely nothing wrong with
Grace: It's Really Accepting
pursuing excellence. Those who do are on a warpath against mediocrity, laziness, and incompetence. But the flip side of excellence cannot be denied: the tendency to be intolerant. If you work for an individual whose goal is the pursuit of excellence, you need no convincing. You have found there is little margin for error. To ignore a mistake is out of the question. No flaw is considered too small to correct. No accomplishment is so well done it cannot be improved.
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