"One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want." (Proverbs 11:24)
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
American missionary to the Huaorani people of Ecuador, Jim Elliot, began ministry among the Quichua before launching Operation Auca with four others to reach the isolated Huaorani. On January 8, 1956, they were speared to death, having chosen not to retaliate when attacked.
His writings include the quote above, which has become synonymous with Christian generosity, emphasising the eternal value of spiritual and selfless pursuits over temporary worldly possessions.
At the end of the day, on our last day, we each leave with nothing. The fruit of the Gospel seed is something which cannot be lost. The seeds of the Gospel planted along our way therefore, can have an eternal impact which cannot be lost, and hence become the most generous, productive, valuable thing we can do with our lives.
The ultimate story of generosity is reflected in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Because of this generosity, a believer, on that last earthly day leaves earth with nothing but enters eternity with everything.
Many people pursue selfish objectives in life, and some, Scrooge-like, will go to great lengths to hold on tightly to their earthly possessions. But "What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?" (Mark 8:36)
One can have amassed tens of millions of dollars, yet have neglected his family, (some of whom may be in great financial need, or could genuinely benefit from some financial generosity), and pursued with all his energy, time and passion, earthly personal glory instead.
Some even put their trust in strangers, helping those strangers en-masse, not necessarily with lots of money but other ways of building them up in the hope that they will say nice things about them when they are gone, in the misguided belief that there will be long-lasting personal glory or legacy in doing so from all the praise, accolades, awards, flattery.
Alas, on that last day all is lost. There is nothing one can take with them, and people, especially strangers, other people's family, very quickly start to forget that person altogether. "For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even their name is forgotten." (Ecclesiastes 9:5)
God reminds us clearly about priorities, even in this area of generosity. “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Timothy 5:8)
God's example of generosity and the Bible's numerous verses that emphasize the importance of generosity, convey the lesson to us that generosity is something we can confidently pursue in our lives.
I can vouch for the efficacy of these Bible verses. When my young family and I were in Malawi, Africa in 2010-2012, and then shorter visits from then on, we depended on God completely and followed His lead in being generous to others. There were many needs. Time and time again we saw God at work, providing everything we needed to help those God put before us, and providing everything we needed personally, often just the right things at just the right time. This happened so often that it strengthened our faith immensely then and continues to do so to this day.
Here are some key passages that highlight the significance of being generous:
"One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want." (Proverbs 11:24)
"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Luke 6:38)
"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7)
"In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" (Acts 20:35)
"Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share." (1 Timothy 6:18)
We see from these verses that generosity is not just about financial generosity, but also about priorities of generosity to family first, and being generous not just with money but with our time, helping others practically, and loving people by good deeds.
We are clearly encouraged by God to be generous and ultimately this reflects God's love, compassion and generosity to us in giving us His Son Jesus to provide for us for eternity in Heaven.
Really, when all is said and done, we can conclude that generosity trumps selfishness and we should be actively seeking opportunities to be generous.
The Jim Elliot story YouTube
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
American missionary to the Huaorani people of Ecuador, Jim Elliot, began ministry among the Quichua before launching Operation Auca with four others to reach the isolated Huaorani. On January 8, 1956, they were speared to death, having chosen not to retaliate when attacked.
His writings include the quote above, which has become synonymous with Christian generosity, emphasising the eternal value of spiritual and selfless pursuits over temporary worldly possessions.
At the end of the day, on our last day, we each leave with nothing. The fruit of the Gospel seed is something which cannot be lost. The seeds of the Gospel planted along our way therefore, can have an eternal impact which cannot be lost, and hence become the most generous, productive, valuable thing we can do with our lives.
The ultimate story of generosity is reflected in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Because of this generosity, a believer, on that last earthly day leaves earth with nothing but enters eternity with everything.
Many people pursue selfish objectives in life, and some, Scrooge-like, will go to great lengths to hold on tightly to their earthly possessions. But "What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?" (Mark 8:36)
One can have amassed tens of millions of dollars, yet have neglected his family, (some of whom may be in great financial need, or could genuinely benefit from some financial generosity), and pursued with all his energy, time and passion, earthly personal glory instead.
Some even put their trust in strangers, helping those strangers en-masse, not necessarily with lots of money but other ways of building them up in the hope that they will say nice things about them when they are gone, in the misguided belief that there will be long-lasting personal glory or legacy in doing so from all the praise, accolades, awards, flattery.
Alas, on that last day all is lost. There is nothing one can take with them, and people, especially strangers, other people's family, very quickly start to forget that person altogether. "For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even their name is forgotten." (Ecclesiastes 9:5)
God reminds us clearly about priorities, even in this area of generosity. “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Timothy 5:8)
God's example of generosity and the Bible's numerous verses that emphasize the importance of generosity, convey the lesson to us that generosity is something we can confidently pursue in our lives.
I can vouch for the efficacy of these Bible verses. When my young family and I were in Malawi, Africa in 2010-2012, and then shorter visits from then on, we depended on God completely and followed His lead in being generous to others. There were many needs. Time and time again we saw God at work, providing everything we needed to help those God put before us, and providing everything we needed personally, often just the right things at just the right time. This happened so often that it strengthened our faith immensely then and continues to do so to this day.
Here are some key passages that highlight the significance of being generous:
"One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want." (Proverbs 11:24)
"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Luke 6:38)
"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7)
"In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" (Acts 20:35)
"Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share." (1 Timothy 6:18)
We see from these verses that generosity is not just about financial generosity, but also about priorities of generosity to family first, and being generous not just with money but with our time, helping others practically, and loving people by good deeds.
We are clearly encouraged by God to be generous and ultimately this reflects God's love, compassion and generosity to us in giving us His Son Jesus to provide for us for eternity in Heaven.
Really, when all is said and done, we can conclude that generosity trumps selfishness and we should be actively seeking opportunities to be generous.
The Jim Elliot story YouTube
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