God and Money: Five Principles for Handling Our Possessions (Give Generously)

As we leave this holiday season, a lot of people find themselves facing some finance stress as they enter the new year. And for that reason, we’ve started a five-week sermon series entitled God and Money: Five Principles for Handling Our Possessions. Using the Bible as a  guide, we’ll focus on the following actions that God calls us to take as we consider the material possessions he’s given us. 

• January 14 - Offer Thanks
• January 21 - Give Generously
• January 28 - Seek Contentment
• February 4 - Work Hard
• February 11 - Stay Humble

During the second service, we talked about why and how we can give generously. The text and recording of the sermon is below. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EST)

Well, I’m glad y’all made it here this morning. I mean, given this last week, I know it would have been pretty easy to just roll over, pull up the covers and catch a few more winks knowing that, since there’s still snow on the ground and slick spots on the porch, no one would blame us for staying close to home today. I mean, I don’t think God wants anyone to risk a broken hip just to hear the second message in a sermon series we started last week, especially when you can stream the service right to your phone as you drink a second cup of coffee at your kitchen table. And if that’s what you did, well, I’m glad you’re with us digitally, if not physically.

And like I said just a minute ago, this morning we’re on the second message in the series we started last week entitled God and Money: Five Principles for Handling Our Possessions. And as you might recall, the first principle involved offering thanks, and we talked about why it’s important and how we can actually do it; in other words, that since it can focus our attention and strengthen our faith and change our attitude, we should offer our thanks to God through the words we use and the work we do. Now that was what he talked about last week.

And as you can see this morning, we’re going to focus on what I think is a second principle that just might help us better manage what we have, and now I’m talking about how we should give generously. And even though I doubt that this comes as a shock to anyone, you know, that somewhere down the line, we were going to talk about giving, I still believe it’s worth mentioning, because, when you think about it, giving isn’t exactly a natural thing to do, particularly in our world.  As a matter of fact, I think it’s a fairly difficult concept to accept and doing it with generosity, man, that’s really hard. And I’ll tell you, that shouldn’t be a surprise either. I mean, let’s get real, it’s actually pretty easy to come up with all kinds of good reasons for not giving at all, for not sending back the envelope and not leaving the tip, you know what I mean, for keeping our cards close to our vest and our wallets securely in our purses and our pockets. Of course, some of these reasons are better than others, still, they’re all pretty helpful, especially if we want to keep as much as we can of what we’ve got. 

Of course, there’s a problem with this approach, especially for Christians. You see, the idea of generous giving is a pretty big deal in the Bible, and I’m talking about in both the Old and the New Testaments. As a matter of fact, most of those 2,500 verses in the Bible about money and wealth and possessions I mentioned last week, well, most of them involve something about giving. And for this reason, that’s going to be our focus this morning. And just like we did last week, we’re going to consider why it’s important for us to give generously and then we’ll spend a little time looking at how we might actually do it. Now, that’s where we’ll be going. And hopefully, by the time we get there, we’ll be ready not only to give, but do it with generosity. And I’ll tell you right up front, although we’re going to focus on how this might help us handle our material possessions, I think it can also apply to all kinds of giving, including our time and our talents and our attention.

And so, as we did last week when we were talking about offering thanks, let’s spend a little time thinking about why it’s important for us to give generously. In other words, why should we give some of the things we have, including all that stuff we earned ourselves, you know, through perseverance and hard work? And why should we be passing these possessions on to someone who may not deserve it, and to do it with generosity? I mean, why is doing that kind of thing even necessary, much less important? Now, in my book, I think that’s a pretty good question.

And I’ll tell you, when you look at what it says in the Bible, I think there are two solid reasons. You see, on one hand, according to scripture, I think it’s important for us to give generously simply because God commands it. In other words, that’s what God tells us to do: period, close the book, Elvis has left the building. You see, there’s really no way around it; that’s what God commands. And even though, I recognize that this reason might not carry the same kind of weight now-a-days as it did let’s say fifty years ago, for people who believe in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, man, the fact that God wants us to be generous in our giving, well, I think that should still be important to us. And you know, I don’t think there can be much doubt about the fact that this is something God really wants us to do. And I’ll tell you, this divine command goes all the way back to the early history of Israel. I mean, even before God led his people into the Promised Land, speaking for God, this was what Moses said to the Israelites:

After the Lord your God gives land to each of you, there may be poor Israelites in the town where you live. If there are, then don't be mean and selfish with your money. Instead, be kind and lend them what they need. Be careful! Don't say to yourself, “Soon it will be the seventh year, and then I won't be able to get my money back.” It would be horrible for you to think that way and to be so selfish that you refuse to help the poor. They are your relatives, and if you don't help them, they may ask the Lord to decide whether you have done wrong. And he will say that you are guilty. You should be happy to give the poor what they need, because then the Lord will make you successful in everything you do.

There will always be some Israelites who are poor and needy. That's why I am commanding you to be generous with them. [Deuteronomy 15:7-11, CEV]

Now that’s what Moses said. You see, before they’d really become anything like a country, in fact, before they’d even received any land at all, God commanded them to give. And just so we don’t assume that this giving business is one of those Old Testament things that no longer applies to Christians, just listen to what Jesus said to those who were in his inner circle:

My little group of disciples, don't be afraid! Your Father wants to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give the money to the poor. Make yourselves moneybags that never wear out. Make sure your treasure is safe in heaven, where thieves cannot steal it and moths cannot destroy it. Your heart will always be where your treasure is. [Luke 12:32-34, CEV]

Now that’s coming from Jesus himself, therefore, I think we can be pretty safe in saying that, on one hand, to give generously, man, that’s exactly what God commands his people to do. And I think that’s one reason we should do it.

On other hand, though, I also believe it’s important, because people actually need it. I mean, just think about it; in those two passages we just read, God didn’t say give generously to the rich or to the powerful, in other words to those who have more than enough. Neither Moses nor Jesus said anything like that. Instead, what we give should go to the poor. In fact, according to other passages in the Old Testament, it should go to widows and to orphans and to foreigners in the land. Why; because they need it. I mean, duh. And remember, in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus said that when they stand before the Son of Man, the nations will be judged based on how they treated the hungry and the thirsty, the naked and the stranger, the sick and the prisoner. You see, we should give generously because some people desperately need our help. And again, this is something we can find in both the Old and the New Testaments. For example, as Solomon was describing the perfect king, this was what he wrote:

Do this because the king

rescues the homeless

    when they cry out,

and he helps everyone

    who is poor and in need.

The king has pity

on the weak and the helpless

    and protects those in need.

He cares when they hurt,

and he saves them from cruel

    and violent deaths. [Psalm 72:12-14, CEV]

You see, for Solomon, a good king and a godly leader focuses his efforts and his energy and even his emotions not on exalting himself and enhancing his own power and wealth, but rather on rescuing the homeless and the exploited and on helping the poor and the needy and on feeling actual pity for the weak and the helpless. I’m telling you, that’s what good kings do; they offer their protection to those who have absolutely no where else to go. Now that’s what King Solomon wrote. And in the New Testament, just listen to what John said in this his first letter:

We know what love is because Jesus gave his life for us. This is why we must give our lives for each other. If we have all we need and see one of our own people in need, we must have pity on that person, or else we cannot say we love God. Children, you show love for others by truly helping them, and not merely by talking about it. [1 John 3:16-18, CEV]

Now that’s what John said, and even though he wrote this almost two thousand years ago, I think he’d agree that talk really is cheap and that truly helping those in need will nearly always demand some sacrifice on the part of the one who gives. But it’s still crucial for us to do, because when you get right down to it, that’s how we can show love both to them and to God. You see, because of God’s command and human need, in my opinion, that’s why it’s important for us to give generously.

But just like it was when we talked about offering our thanks for what we have, just knowing why it’s important to be generous in our giving isn’t enough. Let’s face it, the why only has meaning when we also know about the how, and I’m talking about how we can actually do it. In other words, how can we move ourselves to a point where we’re ready, willing and able to give generously to those who may be lost without our help? And how can we develop an attitude and a mind-set and a spirit that might cause us to put our cards on the table and to take our wallets out of our purses and pockets? How can we, right here and right now, give generously; another good question. And even though I think we could come up with a whole bunch of specific ways we can offer up this kind of help  in my opinion, they all rest on two realities that we’re going to have to accept, and I’m talking about two truths that’ll move us from talking about giving to doing it.

You see, first, to give generously, I think we have to accept that what we have is actually a gift that we’ve been given, a gift that we’ve been given by God. And I want you to just think about what that means. My goodness, although it may come as a shot to our collective ego, all that stuff, all that stuff we’ve earned, all that stuff we look at with pride because it’s ours, brace yourselves, it wasn’t produced by us, to be used as we want. Instead ultimately, it all came from God. And you know, even if we can say with justification that what we have we earned through perseverance and hard work, who gave us the ability to persevere? And who gave us the strength and skills that enabled us to work hard? And who gave us the opportunities we’ve enjoyed, particularly as Americans for crying out loud, to earn what we have? You see, I think everything comes from God. And I’ll tell you, I believe the Apostle Paul would probably agree, and that’s why he wrote this to Corinthians:

Each of you must make up your own mind about how much to give. But don't feel sorry that you must give and don't feel you are forced to give. God loves people who love to give. God can bless you with everything you need, and you will always have more than enough to do all kinds of good things for others. The Scriptures say,

“God freely gives his gifts

to the poor,

    and always does right.”

God gives seed to farmers and provides everyone with food. He will increase what you have, so you can give even more to those in need. You will be blessed in every way, and you will be able to keep on being generous. Then many people will thank God when we deliver your gift. [2 Corinthians 9:4-11, CEV]

Now that’s what Paul wrote. And I’ll tell you, I particularly like that part about how God gives seed to farmers so they can provide everybody with food and how he increases what we have so that we can give to those in need. You see, there’s no two ways about it; it’s all from God. And to those who’ve been given a little more than others, well, a little more’s expected. As Paul wrote to Timothy,

Warn the rich people of this world not to be proud or to trust in wealth that is easily lost. Tell them to have faith in God, who is rich and blesses us with everything we need to enjoy life. Instruct them to do as many good deeds as they can and to help everyone. Remind the rich to be generous and share what they have. This will lay a solid foundation for the future, so they will know what true life is like. [1 Timothy 6:17-19, CEV]

You see, I believe it’ll be a whole lot easier to give generously when we recognize that what we have is a gift that comes from God. Now, for me, that’s the first reality we might need to accept. 

And then second, I think we need to accept that all our stuff is also a tool that we can use, a tool that we can use for others. I mean, although I believe there’s nothing wrong with enjoying what we have, our possessions, these wonderful gifts we’ve received from God, they can be used for something far greater and more profound than just making us happy. You see, they can be used to make the world around us a better place. And they can be used to reduce human poverty and pain. And they can be used to strengthen our communities and to build up our brothers and sisters in Christ. In other words, right here and now, we can use everything that we’ve been given to show our love for both God and neighbor. You see, in that way, they really are tools. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s exactly what the Prophet Isaiah was getting at when he wrote this:

I'll tell you

what it really means

    to worship the Lord.

Remove the chains of prisoners

    who are bound unjustly.

Free those who are abused!

Share your food with everyone

    who is hungry;

share your home

    with the poor and homeless.

Give clothes to those in need;

don't turn away your relatives.

Then your light will shine

like the dawning sun, and you

    will quickly be healed.

Your honesty will protect you

    as you advance,

and the glory of the Lord

    will defend you from behind. [Isaiah 58:6-8, CEV]

Now that was Isaiah. And according to Paul,

God has also given each of us different gifts to use. If we can prophesy, we should do it according to the amount of faith we have. If we can serve others, we should serve. If we can teach, we should teach. If we can encourage others, we should encourage them. If we can give, we should be generous. If we are leaders, we should do our best. If we are good to others, we should do it cheerfully. [Romans 12:6-8, CEV]

Simply put, we can recognize that what we have is not only a gift that we’ve been given, it’s also a tool that we can use. And I’ll tell you, when we accept these two realities, these two truths, man, that’s how we can begin to give generously.

Now yesterday, as I was working on this message, every now and then, I’d look out the window. And even though the weather report on my phone said otherwise, I saw snow coming down. And you know, as I watched, my mind kind of drifted to my comfortable brown chair and a cup of hot coffee and that play-off game on the television. I’ll tell you, it was a wonderful vision. Of course, I had to snap myself out of it, because to do that kind of thing, well it just wasn’t possible, not until the sermon was finished. You see, I had work to get this done before I could sit back and relax. And you know, that’s really a lot like what we’re looking at this morning. You see, rather than just dreaming about how we can enjoy what we have, let’s consider actually doing something else. I mean, given God’s command and human need, let’s accept that what we have is really a gift that we’ve been given and a tool that we can use. In other words, even though it might not be as easy or as comfortable as watching snow or rolling over and pulling up the covers, let’s decide that starting today, we’re going to give generously.