Genius of Generosity

I heard it again the other day.  I was out to lunch with a friend who was telling me a story about money.  He said, “Money is the root of all evil.”  Ah, a lesson in context.  If you don’t like learning how to Read 1, you won’t like this lesson, but let’s just assume you do.  The rules are simple.  Scripture interprets Scripture.  Don’t proof text.  And the Gospels are not only the books we stand for in church, but we actually believe they carry more weight than other books.

What do I mean?  Let’s break it down.  First, it is important to check to see how Scripture can help you decode other Scripture.  So in this case, What does God think about money?  If God thought money was bad all together, why would Jesus pay the temple tax?  Why would He commend the widow for giving her few coins?  You see what I am saying:  God doesn’t hate money.

Proof text means I want to tell you something that Scripture says, so I take one Scripture (often out of context) and say, “Here is what I mean.”  In this example, I want to convince you that money is bad; that God doesn’t care about money.  Now my friend meant that in a totally different way, but he was missing a key word, but we will get to that.

Finally, we uphold what Jesus did as higher than other books of the Bible.  Why do we do this?  Simple!  We know that the main message of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation is simple: we are broken sinners; we need a Savior; Jesus our Savior fulfilled the law so we could go to heaven.  The Gospels maintain this central theme by bringing all of Scripture together concerning Jesus’ death and resurrection.

So what does this have to do with money and generosity?  This often misquoted Scripture is from 1 Timothy 6:10, where it says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.  It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with pangs.”  Wow!  Eye opening, right?  It is the love of money, not money.  But they “pierced themselves with pangs.”  (I’m not sure what a pang is but I don’t want it.)   Many translate a pang as grief, but you get it, right?  Who needs more grief?  Not me, for sure.

About a year ago I watched this 30 for 30, ESPN film called, “Broke.” It was all about how athletes go broke.  I have your attention now, right?  You feel bad for A-Rod, and the many professional athletes who are making millions of dollars.  Hang with me for a minute.  Think about it.  Many of them go from a life of poverty to living a millionaire life style in a matter of minutes.  Yes, I said minutes.  The natural progression of finances goes like this: we slowly creep up, and things start becoming easier.  Mindy and I had our first son very early in marriage.  We had to move to a larger apartment, and began to realize the cost of diapers, formula, etc.  Then, in addition to that, we moved from California to Missouri, and our income was reduced

to one salary.  This often happens in the early years of marriage.  So who feels bad for these athletes?  But think about it.  They have friends who are poor; they have family members who are poor; and so they begin to help them out.  They also get crazy and start blowing money.  They buy new cars and other new things, and before they know it, someone talks them into purchasing a business that will surely tank.  Suddenly, they realize that they started their career early in their 20s, when few young people knew how to manage money, and then their career ends in their mid 30s.  Now it occurs to them that they need to have enough money to carry it through the rest of their lives.

That is what got me.  Without the basic principles of saving, paying bills, and so on they find themselves Going Broke.  This weekend we start a new series called “The Genius of Generosity.”  Basic Principles are key for all of us.  If we don’t understand why giving is important, or how to give, or what to give, then how can we be generous?  Generosity has more to do with stewardship than anything else. Stewardship means managing what God gives me.

Let me explain:  I grew up living through my parents’ bankruptcy. Therefore I had a hard time giving up our stuff. Mindy grew up with a much different attitude.  Since her love language is giving, she will give up almost anything to anyone.  Such different outlooks can cause a few wrinkles in any marriage.  But soon enough I saw her heart for giving, and had to discover ways to accommodate both outlooks.  It also meant I needed to give to her.  With little money early in our marriage, I decided that gifts for Mother’s Day, birthdays, and Christmas should be things of the past.  We acknowledged them, but we didn’t give gifts.  Words of encouragement were my love language.  So all I needed was a letter and a reminder that I was valued.  Over time God has changed my heart, and I treasure finding unique gifts for my wife.  I also understand when she wants to give to others.  This series is not about money; it’s not even about stewardship; it’s about heart change.  And I pray that God will allow us to become more generous through observing His goodness to us.