Being a Giving Person

Fall is upon us, and just over one month will be Thanksgiving. The very next day after Thanksgiving, Christmas shopping will start all over again. That is our society's season of giving. People who normally compete with each other, try to supplant one another, are most often at each other's throats. This time of year, exchange gifts with each other and say to each other, Merry Christmas, or to be more politically correct, Happy Holidays.

Lovely songs are played in the workplace, shopping malls and restaurants. And yet, we know that Christmas doesn't change the human heart. When it's all over, our world will go back to its ugly, selfish, competitive, lawless nature. Selfishness and greed and competition drive our society. And that's the way it's been since Cain killed Abel at the dawn of man. And the Christian world takes a breath for a short season, called Christmas, to be generous. For many people, this is the only time of year they even show a hint of generosity. Not for everybody. Some people are just by nature, givers and generous.

But it's more of a personality trait than a character trait. So I want to talk about the character of generosity today. The Bible doesn't say that there's a season for giving. There's a season for a lot of things. But one of those things is not a season for giving. No such thing. Ecclesiastes chapter 3 says, to everything there is a season, to every purpose under heaven. We're born, we're die, we're reaped, we're so, we love, we hate.

But it never says there's a time to give and a time to get, a time to be generous and a time to be selfish, a time to be rude and competitive and completely lawless. And yet that's the way the world is. That should not be so with us. This morning I want to address the subject of generosity as part of the true Christian heart.

Generosity, or giving, is a part of mercy. It's giving something that's not owed. If you owe it and you give it back, you're not being generous. You're paying a debt. Mercy is a part of love. And in fact, the word mercy and the word love are used interchangeably in the Old Testament. Did you know that God judges us, you and me, based on how generous we are? It's true. God has given us so much and he cares for us.

But even through trials, that seems so rough, he never drops us. But he is expecting us to grow in return. And in Matthew 18 and verse 3, Jesus said, in Matthew 18 and verse 3, Assuredly I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Now, we often read this and say, yeah, you know, little children learn a lot.

So when you become a new Christian, you're supposed to learn a lot. Which is true. I actually agree with that. But it's also really, stepping back and looking at the overview of what Jesus was talking about, he's talking about becoming a new person, starting over in life. So the analogy of learning a lot, you can glean from what Jesus said, but his main purpose was you need to become a new man.

You need to start over as a little child. Then we glean from that while a little child learns. You know what else a little child does? A little child gives. A little child gives. Unless you become like a little child, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. I remember when Zach was a little boy, just a little boy. I used to have this flip phone.

Remember the old flip phones, like Kirk? Beam me up, Scotty. And it played music. He loved it. So I know I've told you this story before, but you have to hear it again. So I gave him the phone, and this was a prized possession to him.

I had a new phone. I got an upgrade on the phone. And I gave him my old flip phone, and he absolutely loved this phone. And then I asked him, Zach, can I have it back? And he looked at his precious new phone. He just gave it right back. He wasn't like, no way, you Indian giver!

You just gave it to me. You can't just give it back. He didn't say that at all. He just gave it back out of generosity. God determines whether or not we're righteous or wicked by how generous we are. Psalm 37. Psalm 37, verse 21. Generosity. Giving things to people that they don't deserve. Giving things to people that are not owed. When you're not paying back a debt, you're just giving.

Psalm 37, verse 21. I'm going to read from the Bible in basic English, BBE. Psalm 37, verse 21. The sinner takes money and does not give back. But the upright man has mercy and gives to others. The sinner takes money, someone who God condemns, someone who God judges, the sinner. He takes money and he does not give it back. But the upright man has mercy. The word mercy, chenan, I totally mispronounced that. I know. I'm just phonetically pronouncing it. From Brown driver Big, Brig's definition is to be gracious, to show favor, or have pity. In other words, it's not owed. The righteous man gives things that he doesn't have to give to other people. Notice the contrast. The unrighteous heart, Satan's heart, if you will, takes and doesn't give back. But the righteous heart doesn't just borrow and give back. That's not what the righteous heart does. It's the complete polar opposite. The righteous heart just gives. There's no mention of lending. There's no expectation of being paid back.

This is mercy, giving what is not owed. This is what God does to us. How can we ever pay God back? We cannot. But he just gives it to us, doesn't he? This is the heart that God intends all of us to have. How do we do? How are we doing in this? We're going to examine that in just a few minutes.

What if you don't have any money to give to others when you see a need? Generosity is not about stuff. It includes stuff, but it's not all encompassed by giving things, by giving money. That's not where generosity comes from.

Generosity is supposed to be part of almost everything we do and say every day. It's part of love. And that's what I want to get across today. That generosity, the Christian heart, comes from the point of view of love, of outgoing concern. You do not have a lending heart, because a lending heart expects to be paid back. But rather you have a giving heart, where you hope that they take what you give and they benefit from it. And your actual reward is their benefit. Then do we get generosity. Then are we becoming like God. Do you have a lending heart or a giving heart? Because the opposite of the sinner who borrows and doesn't repay isn't the guy who lends and expects to be paid back. It's the guy or gal who gives. It's mercy. It's love. And there is a reward, brethren, for being a giver. Let's go to Ephesians 6. Turn there, if you will, or look over my shoulder. Ephesians 6 and verse 5. There is beautiful little Ryan back there. She smiled at me.

Ephesians 5 and 6. Servants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling and sincerity as to Christ. Not with eye service or men pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with good will doing service. Giving isn't just about money. You know, sometimes it's just doing something nice for somebody. Sometimes it's just saying something to somebody that you otherwise wouldn't have taken time to do. Brethren, I know we're busy. I know we have our own problems. But look outside yourself and look at other people. Look at the wear and tear on their face. And give them a good word. Lend them your ear and your time. That's also part of being generous. And you know that costs you, doesn't it? It costs you your time. It costs you your effort. It might even give you stress. Wear you out. Make you have the need to talk to somebody. It costs you something to give. So why do you do it? To get paid back? The Christian heart does it so that the other person benefits, and that is our reward. He says in verse 7, with good will, doing service as to the Lord, not to men. We realize that we're doing this because our Father does this. And we're doing this in His name, on His behalf. Verse 8, knowing that whatever good anyone does, He will receive the same from the Lord, wherever He is slave or free. Whether He's an employee or an employer, no matter what status we are in life, it doesn't matter. This is a matter of heart, not a matter of station, not a matter of income, not a matter of how much stuff you have to give. It's a matter of heart. And you know what? When you give it, in Ephesians 6 and verse 8, it says God's going to give it back. So I have a challenge for all of us. A dare. A double dog dare.

I dare you to try to out-give God. You can't do it. Your horse isn't fast enough. He will beat you every single time. This is a generous heart at work. There's no money being exchanged, but rather you're giving your best effort. When you're not being watched, that's from the heart. Oh, there are men pleasers. Oh, there are people who pay lip service. There are people that do good deeds and make sure they tell everybody else those good deeds.

We don't have time to go through that Scripture, but that is condemned in the Bible. There is no reward in that except for people who will go, wow, you're a righteous person. You know how much coffee that will buy you at Starbucks? Zero. It's worth nothing. It lasts. It does nothing for you. Why do we desire that? We do the vanity of the human heart. Oh, we want other people to see us do it. Why do we do that? We all do it.

So don't elbow your husband. Don't elbow your wife or the person sitting next to you. We're all in the same boat. Oh, don't. We love to receive the accolades of men. Brethren, that's not what this is about. God gives so that we benefit. The Christian heart should be a generous one, and we should give so that others benefit.

Generosity can be giving extra effort on the job, helping your neighbor in need, using your expertise to help a friend, or even just giving a good word. The principle is you give what you have. Some people go to the other extreme and give more than they have. And this is just as bad as not giving it all. And I'll tell you why it's just as bad. You might think, well, that's going a bridge too far, Rod.

I mean, yeah, if you give too much, it's not just as bad. At least you're still giving, right? Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Giving more than you have is just as bad as not being generous at all. Why? Because you're taking it from someone else. You're stealing when you do that. You don't think you are. Some people, there's two ditches on this generous road. One of them is people are like, you know, Scrooge in that Christmas carol story.

Who wouldn't give? Bahamdug. We got those over there. And then we've got those who give more than they have. Who do they take away from? The people they owe. Oh, and it's a lot more than just money. Your family is your primary concern for the people you owe. You owe your time, your love, your words. I have to be careful in my ministry. I have to be careful not to give more of myself to everybody else and neglect my family. I have found that to be a real challenge. So I'm not condemning any of you. I'm just warning you. Generosity, there's two different ditches. One of them is, you don't give it all.

You have this cold heart. Oh, you'll lend, but you won't give. That is not of God. That is a satanic heart. But there's the other heart. Well, you'll give more than you have. You're stealing from other people.

And that's selfish. You're making yourself look good at the cost of other people. 1 Timothy 5, verse 8. Brethren, we have a responsibility to give to those who God has given to us. And that is our primary responsibility. Your family, your wife, your mom and dad, honor your father and your mother, for your days will belong on the earth. You have a primary responsibility.

This generosity topic, I've seen Christians go way too far, absolutely neglect their family and be generous in deeds or money or whatever with other people. If you live on a fixed income, don't give your family's food money because somebody else needs food money. Go help them earn some food, but make sure your cupboards are stocked.

1 Timothy 5, verse 8. Listen to this warning. But if anyone does not provide for his own, especially for those in his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Why worse than an unbeliever? How can it be worse than an unbeliever for you to give more than you have? Because you've taken God's name on you, and you are supposed to be a reflection of the living God, and you don't provide for your own family. We need to be careful of this. Don't be a giver for attention, because if you're getting attention in return, you are a sucker for giving too much.

If your motivation for giving is so that you get all the eyes on you, you're going to be tempted to give more than you have to give. And you're just as wrong as the unbeliever. In fact, God says more so because the name of God is on you. So don't give more than you have. Taking from those whom you're responsible for, be very careful to provide for your own household, because you owe them that. Then give to others that you don't owe. Remember, generosity is giving that which is not deserved. It's part of mercy.

It's love. When you give so much that you take away from your own family, you're being foolish. And you're doing more harm than good. You're actually hurting the name of God. Okay, so that's just a warning. Let's get back into what generosity is. Generosity in a word. Proverbs 12 and verse 25.

Anxiety in a heart causes depression, but a good word makes it glad. Anxiety in the heart of a man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad. Is not cheering someone out of depression one of the best things you can give? Is not helping someone to be calm and back on the path one of the most generous things you can do? Some of you have money, but not a lot of you. And so you might be thinking, oh, I have to give money. No. Remember the balance that God has. Right? So he doesn't expect you to give more than you have. He doesn't expect you to not pay your rent so that somebody else can pay theirs. That's not being generous. If you don't have a place to live, how are you going to help anybody? Now they have to go help you. Right? But what if, so what? You don't have money. You can just help somebody realize God's going to see them through to the end. Don't worry about this trial you're going through. You're going to be okay, no matter how it ends up. Isn't that more than being rich? You don't need to be rich. You don't need strong muscles. You can literally, literally be in a wheelchair and be generous. Tell you a story. Inez Roberts. She was in her 90s when I knew her. And this was 40-some years ago, 30-some years ago. And so she, I was in Spokane, Washington, a teenager, and my mother told me to bring her a cup of coffee. Now I didn't know her, but I did, I know, I did what my mother told me. I brought her a cup of coffee and it was too hot. So she corrected me. Could you, this is too hot. Could you put some water in it? So I walked over and put some water in it and it got it perfect. Wow, it was perfect. And I became her boyfriend from that point on. And I would come up to her every Sabbath and I would bring her a cup of coffee at the perfect temperature. And she gave something back to me. This 90-year-old woman gave something back to me. And it wasn't money. And it wasn't encouraging words. It was perspective. She gave me perspective. She had come to Washington State in a covered wagon with a horse drawing it, how old she was. And she grew up in a time when there weren't radios and top 10, top 40 lists and all the things that we have today. She wasn't anxious about anything. She had gone through her life and she had made it. And everything was okay. Talking to her was like talking to a living history book. Oh, you can go to school and you can read about covered wagons, but it's not real. So you talk to somebody who's actually done it. Wow! And she had made it through. And she had a family that you could take these two sections of the church and probably more because we're kind of light today. Probably these three sections and group them all together. And that was her family photo. Those were her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren. There were 60-some people in that photo that I saw of her. And she was as bright as she could be. She lived into her hundreds before she died. And she was sitting in a wheelchair and didn't really have much of anything. But she gave to me perspective. Now, what about Tabitha? You remember Tabitha? Acts 9. Let's take a look at Tabitha. Acts 9, starting in verse 36. Acts 9, verse 36.

And since Lydia was near Joppa, Lydia, or Lida was the city where Peter was at, was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there. They sent two men to him imploring him not to delay in coming to them. And then Peter arose and went with them. And when he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by weeping. All the women, all the widows were weeping over Tabitha. Why? Showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. And then Peter put them all out and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes. And when Peter saw this, she sat up. I'm sorry, when she saw Peter, she sat up. And then he gave her his hand and lifted her up. And when he had called the saints and the widows, he presents her alive. And it became known throughout Joppa and the many believed in the Lord. Why was Tabitha so loved?

Why did the men run to Peter? Why was she so important to the church in Joppa? Was it because she made clothes for people? Was that it?

Was she the kind of person who did things just for attention? You know, those kind of people make other people sick. They get tired of them. You know, when someone gives to you so that they can promote themselves, you feel patronized. You feel put beneath them. You do not feel loved. Dorcas was loved, adored. Why was she so important to the church in Joppa? It wasn't just because she made clothes. Generosity is an expression of love. Dorcas was very likely a leader, very likely a pillar, someone who could be leaned upon. She was an example of Christianity, Christianity that other people could follow. She was very likely considered to be a very wise woman. And why? The only description given of her is that she was generous. She was a giver, not a lender. She had a giving heart. You can have this. You can depend on me. You can count on me. I am here for you. That is the heart of God. That is supposed to be the heart of every Christian. You can count on me. I am here for you. She gave. She was generous. There is not a certain season of the year. It's just who she was. You will be known not for how much you know. You will not be remembered for how smart you are. That's not enough. You will be known for what you do for other people.

You don't have to give money or material things. You give what you have. That's what counts. God is a very loving, giving, and merciful being. And Jesus instructs us to be like Him, to become like Him, to give to people even when they're very crummy to us. Luke 6, verse 28. Luke 6, verse 28. We're in the Sermon on the Mount. Luke 6, verse 28. Bless those who curse you. What does the word bless mean? It means to be generous, have your hand open, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To Him who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other also. And from Him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. The Christian says, this guy just took my coat. I bet he needs a pair of trousers, too. Give, verse 30, give to everyone who asks of you. And from Him who takes away your goods, do not ask them back. Do not have a heart that loans things. You can't take it with you, brethren. I can't take it with me. Be a giver. Benefit other people and let that be your reward. Generosity is to be a part of our character. It's not what we do. It's who we are. Generosity is not what we do. Those are the people who do it for show. All right? That's not us. Let that never be said of us. It's part of becoming mature like our Father. Let's go back to the Sermon on the Mount, but this time back to Matthew, Matthew 5. cutting down a little farther in the sermon, Matthew 5, verse 43.

Matthew 5, 43. You have heard it said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies. Bless those who curse you. Do good to those who hate you and pray for those who spitefully use and persecute you. That why? That you may be the sons of your Father in Heaven. What does He do? For He makes the sun rise on the evil and the good. He sends the rain on the just and the unjust. Do we? For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brethren? You know, I've seen this in our congregation, where we'll greet certain people and we put our head down and we don't even say boo to other people. That's ridiculous. That is a selfish heart. Okay, let's read that again. If you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only? What do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do? Are you even part of the church? Jesus was asking. Are you my disciple? Therefore, you shall be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. And that word perfect means complete, like mature, like grown up. What is grown up? A giving heart, not a loaning heart. Philippians chapter 4. We read this a lot. I'm just going to read a little quip out of the middle of it. Philippians chapter 2, I'm sorry. Philippians 2 and verse 4 and 5. Philippians 2 verse 4. Let each of you look not only for his own interest, but also for the interests of others. That is our motive. Let this mind be in you, which is also in Christ Jesus. We're coming up on the world's, quote, season of giving. Our season of giving, brethren, is every day we draw breath. That season of giving ends when we stop breathing. The next season of giving starts up the moment we're resurrected. Generosity is a way of life, is a way that God's faithful people act. Generosity is a matter of the heart. And God judges us on how generous we are. Every single one of us is capable of giving, because it's not about stuff, it's about the heart. Do we ever wake up in the morning and say, I need a break? I have so much coming at me, I just can't handle it. You know, it's not wrong-feel that way. Don't worry about that. But God has your back. He will provide for you. What does He need from us in return? What does He expect? He's a generous God, even when we go through trials. So instead of worrying about a trial, let's look at opportunities to be generous, to go farther than expected, to become more like the God that we worship. You know, brethren, when we step out of our own troubles and our own worries, and we start taking care of other people, we start to gain perspective. And with that perspective, all of our troubles and all of our trials become more manageable. How do we do that? It's simple, it really is. By becoming like God and having from the heart the willingness to give, not just to lend. And when we do that, life just becomes a whole lot lighter and easier to handle. Let's be a giving person.