“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” 1 Timothy 6:18 (NIV)

A 5 Day Lesson in Generosity

There are many, many things that I need to work on and improve upon in my life. Thankfully God doesn’t convict us or work on too many of our flaws all at once! He doesn’t want to overwhelm us, and he meets us where we are. This week I thought I would share with you something that God has been teaching me the last few weeks. It’s the concept of generosity.

Recently, in my church small group we’ve been doing a book study on Andy Stanley’s Enemies of the Heart. It’s been a very convicting study. I started the book thinking that I didn’t really struggle with some of the “heart issues” he discusses. However after further study, I found myself saying, “Crap. I totally struggle with that.”

Greed

Unfortunately, greed was one of those heart issues. I never really considered myself a greedy person. After reading the book, however, I discovered that greed and selfishness are issues that I still need to conquer. Tithing has never been an issue for me since I was taught that growing up. Also, I’ve always been giving with my time and gifts. Sometimes though, I have a harder time letting go of money, material things or even my desire for superficial things in life. Sometimes I struggle with contentment.

NOTE: God wants us to be blessed, prosperous, and have good things. However He does not want those things to become idols or lord over us. Nor does He want them (or the desire for them) to pollute our hearts with greed and selfishness, causing us to become less effective in loving Him and our neighbors.

With each heart issue Andy Stanley covered a practical step to overcome that issue. (You know how I love practical steps! 😉 ) According to the book, the best way to overcome greed is by practicing generosity.

He listed a few examples in the book of ways to apply generosity. First and foremost though, he suggested that we pray and ask God to show us how HE would have us carry out acts of generosity. For after all, we are just managing His assets/money anyway. I also remember hearing another pastor give similar advice many years ago. He suggested that you pray each day and ask God to show you how you can be more generous that day. 

My lesson in conquering greed started with 5 days of generosity.

Day 1: Giving 2% of my paycheck

I decided to follow advice and learn to practice generosity to slowly overcome greed and selfishness. This past week I started with Andy Stanley’s advice of giving a small amount above and beyond the tithe. He suggested becoming a percentage giver starting with 1-2% and working your way up to 10% regular giving above the tithe. Another thing he mentioned in the book that stuck out to me was that in order for our generosity to be effective in breaking the power of greed, our giving must impact our lifestyle. In other words, it might be a little uncomfortable or inconvenient.

Well, I paid my tithe as usual. Then I thought to myself, “Oh I bet if I just round it up to the next $10 increment, that should equal about 1-2%.” Math has never been by forte (remember I was failing my finance class!). When I broke out my calculator and figured 2%, it was significantly higher than the number I had in my head. Ouch. I got a little sad, so I knew I needed to give for just that reason. This is the attitude that I’m trying to crush. Besides, I had already told myself that’s what I would do, and that was my practical step. Therefore I followed through and paid the higher amount. Day one…generosity accomplished!

Day 2: Helping a friend go to Egypt

The next day I again prayed for God to show me how I could show generosity. Later, I received a text message from a friend who was planning on going on a mission trip with her husband to Eygpt. They needed some help with the cost of her plane ticket and were humbly asking friends and family to help out. I knew that was my step of generosity for this day. I had an amount in mind, but it was easy for me to give that amount. Instead I decided to double it. Although it wasn’t a large sum of money, it still made me get a bit tight in the stomach. I imagined what I could do with that money instead. “Generosity!” floated through my mind. “Okay, Okay,” I said as I reaffirmed my decision to get over my greed.

Day 3: Would you like to round your purchase to donate?

Similar to the two previous days, I prayed “God, show me how I can be generous today.” Without fail, this day also presented an opportunity to exercise generosity. During the checkout at Walmart, the cashier asked, “Would you like to round your purchase to donate to the Children’s ____?” To be honest, I didn’t even catch where the donation would go. The word “generosity” again trickled through my mind as I was about to utter my normal response “No thank you. Not today.” Instead I found myself saying, “Yes. Yes I would.” Generosity, albeit small…check.

Day 4: Pumpkin Spice Cheerios

Pumpkin Spice Cheerios…another form of generosity!

This day started with the same prayer. Little did I expect generosity to manifest in the form of Pumpkin Spice Cheerios! The previous day at Walmart, being a sucker for all things pumpkin spice, I purchased the limited edition cereal. Then I posted a picture of the cereal on Instagram. A friend of mine in California replied that she needed it ASAP. Half-jokingly I replied, “Shall I mail you some?” To which she replied how much she would love that because she hadn’t seen any out there yet. I honestly didn’t expect her to say yes.

Then there came that word into my head again…“Generosity”. I knew what I had to do. Back to Walmart I went to purchase not one but TWO boxes of Pumpkin Spice Cheerios…because that’s what generous people do, ya know! Then off to the post office I went. Let me tell ya, it’s not cheap to mail 2 boxes of Cheerios from Oklahoma to California. But hey, I’m a generous person now who loves my friend very much. She is totally worth the gift and generosity of both my time and money. I did, however, refuse the insurance they offered!

Day 5: A different kind of generosity

This day’s prayer to show generosity resulted in a different, non-monetary need. I received a very sad text message from a friend and former college roommate informing me that her youngest brother had passed away. She knew I’d remember him even though it had been several years since I last saw him. This broke my heart for her family. I knew immediately that a reply text would not suffice, and I needed to call her. Even though it was uncomfortable to call due to a lack of words and even though a text would have been easier and more convenient, this situation demanded a generosity of empathy, love and compassion.

Another opportunity for a different kind of generosity also presented itself this same day. As I was at the college where I teach, I walked by a copy machine and happened to overhear another instructor talking to her small child. She mentioned the name of our church’s school. A thought occurred that I should strike up a conversation. That was soon followed up by thoughts of how much grading I still had left to finish up. “Generosity”…there it was again.

I spoke with her briefly, and discovered that she was a new instructor this semester. I was also able to help her locate an office she was trying to find. Afterwards, I went back to my classroom and decided to go ahead and find her email address. I followed up to give her my contact info and info for some other colleagues that she could touch base with if she had any departmental questions. I tried my best to be generous and friendly.

A continued journey of generosity

I’m positive my journey of generosity has not come to an end. Not even close. I know this is a lesson I will have to learn little by little. Day by day through small acts (or big ones) of generosity, I will overcome my struggle with greed. Throughout my journey, God will continue to bless me even more because He will see me as a channel that He can now use to bless others.

“Blessed are those who are generous…” Proverbs 22:9 (NLT) 

Now it’s your turn!

Take Some Practical Steps To Start Your Own Journey Of Generosity:

• Consider following some of Andy Stanley’s tips for generosity in Enemies of the Heart. He specifically discusses becoming both a percentage giver and a spontaneous giver.
• Pray every day, “God, show me how I can be generous today.” Then listen, watch, and expect for opportunities to show up.
• Look for ways to be a blessing to others and to meet a need. If you have extra and you come across somebody in need, share.
• Lastly remember that showing generosity may get uncomfortable and inconvenient at times if you struggle with greed. This may be your normal response until generosity becomes a habit and conquers greed.

What are some ways that you show generosity? Give us some ideas by leaving a comment below.

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If you know anyone that could benefit from this, please pay it forward!  Share this post via the sharing links below.  “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV) 

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