The Joy of Generosity Devotions for Church Leaders on Stewardship Generous Giving The Joy of Generosity devotions are designed for church leaders to use in their regularly scheduled meetings to help them as leaders meditate on God s plan for whole-life stewardship and facilitate a stewardship mindset in their churches. There are three sets of devotions to choose from in the Joy of Generosity series: 1) Biblical Principles 7 devotionals 2) Money Matters 5 devotionals 3) Generous Giving- 7 devotionals These devotions were developed by Barnabas Foundation (www.barnabasfoundation.com) and are adapted from The Joy of Generosity (HomeLink series) written by Robert C. Heerspink and released by Faith Alive Christian Resources (www.faithaliveresources.com).
The Pattern of Giving Ephesians 5:1-10 Be imitators of God.... When I was a student in seminary, I did more than read books on preaching. I developed a list of preachers in my city whom I considered to be masters of their craft. Several times a month, I attended worship in their congregations. I learned a great deal by listening to their sermons. We learn by watching others. By watching others, we learn how to do everything from making a grilled-cheese sandwich to changing the oil of the car. It s that way when it comes to our stewardship as well. God says, Imitate me, God the Giver, the One who so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son (John 3:16). God deserves to be called the Giver. God s giving was not an afterthought. Rather, giving was at the heart of God s salvation plan. Nor was God s giving cheap. The God who owns infinite wealth gave the one thing that was irreplaceable. God gave his only begotten Son. In Ephesians 5:1, Paul tells us that we are to be imitators of God! The word Paul uses for imitate is the word used for training orators. Just as I sat at the feet of model preachers to develop an effective preaching style, so speakers in the ancient world sought to model their oratory after experienced public speakers. And what is true of ancient rhetoric is true of modern stewardship. We must be God-imitators. That means we are to model our giving after God s giving. Love, then, is at the heart of our giving. God s love motivates us to give generously, even sacrificially. And yes, joyously too. Christ endured the cross for the joy set before him (Heb. 12:2). We can t out-give God, but we can imitate God s example. Think about what motivates your giving. Do you give out of habit? Is it because you have a need to pay your way? Or is your giving motivated by love? How can you tell?
Why Give? Read Luke 16:1-9. I tell you, use the riches of this world to help others. Perhaps no parable Jesus tells is more puzzling than this one. Charges of mismanagement have been filed against the steward of an estate, resulting in his release from service. What will this steward do next? His health won t allow him to work in the fields. His pride will not allow him to beg. Instead, he hatches a plan that he s sure will win him friends. He calls in the master s renters one by one. The steward tells them to slash their debts drastically. How? they ask. Just change the numbers on the bill! the steward advises. Perhaps the owner of the estate learns the truth when he hears the renters celebrating their good fortune. And once he gets over the shock, the owner realizes he has only two options. He can tell his renters that this was all a mistake in which case, he will be denounced as a miserably stingy man! Or he can say nothing, allow the financial arrangements to stand, and ride the crest of popular opinion. The latter option is preferable. Of course, the master knows that the steward s popularity will rise along with his. He calls in the steward and says, You aren t an honest man, but you are a very clever fellow. That s the parable. Perhaps you find it offensive. Is Jesus really celebrating trickery? No! But he does say that the people of this world... are more clever than God s people (Luke 16:8, NIrV). Jesus says, Use the riches of this world to help others. In that way, you will make friends for yourselves. Then when your riches are gone, you will be welcomed into your eternal home in heaven (v. 9, NIrV). The steward used his riches (in this case, his master s money) to make friends who would welcome him into their homes even if he had no employment! Jesus says Christians should think about using their riches in a similar way. It is possible, says Jesus, to use the riches of this world to gain friends who will welcome us into our eternal home. Imagine the scene as we step through the gates of heaven. God asks, Who will welcome this child of mine to the heavenly courts? Then someone steps forward and says, I was without hope. I was sixteen, pregnant, unmarried. But this one of yours gave me a home and made it possible for me to put my life back together. Another person steps forward and says, I did not know Jesus. I worshiped gods that were not the true God, but the dollars this one of yours gave to missions made it possible for me to hear the good news about Jesus. Yes, it still is possible to use our riches to make friends friends we may never know we have until we step through heaven s gates. Try to put faces with the gifts you give for the cause of Christ s kingdom. Do you picture someone who is homeless or starving? A child in your church or across the world who needs to know Jesus? A single mom without a car or an elderly person who needs a ride to the doctor? Who might give you a heavenly welcome in gratitude for your gift of time, talents, and treasures?
The Matter of the Tithe Malachi 3:6-12 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse... Few stewardship issues create more debate than the matter of the tithe. It s not that we are confused about the definition of the tithe. The principle is quite straightforward. The tithe was the 10 percent that the Israelites returned to God. Evidently, giving 10 percent was as unpopular in ancient times as it is in many circles today. The prophet Malachi points out that the neglect of the tithe had resulted in terrible consequences for God s covenant people. God s Word in our text is quite clear. What it means for us today is more confusing. Does God expect 10 percent today? Is the tithe a law for New Testament believers? If it is, why isn t the tithe clearly restated in the New Testament as a law for the church? Galatians 4 gives us some guidance on this issue. There Paul tells us that Old Testament believers were like immature children for whom the law served as a guardian. New Testament believers, in comparison, have entered into spiritual maturity in Christ. Understood from Paul s perspective, the tithe was something of a teaching tool for the spiritually immature. It s not surprising, then, that many parents still use the tithe as an appropriate way to introduce the idea of healthy giving to their children to. But as we grow in Christ, Paul s words suggest that the tithe no longer is a strict rule for us to follow today. Does that mean we can ignore the tithe? Hardly! Like much Old Testament legislation, the tithe contains important principles to guide our living today. First, the tithe teaches proportional giving. In ancient Israel, giving rose with income. So must ours. The more we make, the more we give. The tithe principle is violated when we expect every family in church to contribute the same amount. Second, the tithe teaches substantial giving. Ten percent is a significant amount, especially in a subsistence culture like Palestine. The ancient Israelites were expected to make a significant contribution of their wealth to the kingdom. And if that was God s expectation of spiritual children, would God expect any less of spiritual grownups? Third, the tithe teaches God s blessing on giving. In the Old Testament, where God s kingdom was rooted to a specific plot of land, the blessings promised were tied to the land. But today, God s blessings still accompany our giving. I ve never talked to a generous giver in the church who has not told me that God s many-sided grace has far outpaced dollars put in the plate! You see, no one out-gives God. Nobody! Time for a reality check! What percentage are you giving to God? Are you satisfied with what you give? What changes would you need to make to give 1 percent more? Five percent more?
Firstfruits Giving Proverbs 3:1-10. Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops.... Most of us have at one time or another given to get or at least been enticed to do so. Send us a hundred dollars, says one evangelist, and God will send you a check ten times as big. One pastor, upon receiving that appeal, wrote back and said he didn t have a hundred dollars to send. However, he wrote, if you will send my church a hundred dollars, I m sure you can count on receiving that check for a thousand dollars yourself! Needless to say, the pastor received no more mailings from that evangelist! Unscrupulous appeals aside, the Bible does teach that we reap what we sow. That general principle applies also in the area of giving. Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over with new wine (Prov. 3:9-10). Our motive for giving must never be crass greed. Nevertheless, we reap what we sow. If we sow confidence and trust in God, we can expect to reap the harvest of God s continued care in our lives. That s the point of this proverb. Note that we are asked to honor God not just with our wealth, but with our firstfruits. Firstfruits refer to the portion of the Israelites crops that ripened early. This portion was to be presented to God. The people were commanded to give to the Levites the firstborn of their herds and flocks and the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, oil, and wool (Deut. 15:19; 18:4). Firstfruits are always the hardest to give to God. That s because we want to give from what is left after the bills are paid. But giving God lastfruits doesn t demonstrate our confidence in God as the one who fills our barns to overflowing with all that we truly need! Let s step out in faith today. Let s give God our firstfruits. We can be assured that God will not fail to provide for our needs. Look back over your experiences as giver and receiver. Have you experienced the sowingreaping principle in your own life? In what ways have your reaped a harvest from your financial stewardship to God s kingdom?
Passing the Plate 1 Corinthians 16:1-4. Now about the collection for God s people... A small mission church in which I sometimes preached had a steady stream of students from a local seminary fill their pulpit. These newcomers to worship leadership sometimes had the tendency to overlook parts of the service. Since the offering occurred at the end of the liturgy, some students inadvertently announced the closing song and wrapped up the service before the plate was passed. After this catastrophe occurred three Sundays in a row, the elders decided to remedy the problem by attaching a prominent note to the top of the lectern: If you forget the offering, you will not be paid. Yes, for practical purposes, churches consider the offering an important part of worship. But there is more reason to pass the plate than just the necessity of paying the bills. In our text, Paul talks about a very special offering that was dear to him, sometimes called The Great Collection. In fact, it was so important to Paul that he spent seven years gathering the money. What was this offering? It was a collection by his Gentile churches for the poor in Jerusalem. Poverty ran high in the Jewish church back home. Some members of the congregation had been converted on Pentecost while in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. Their ability to make a living in their new home was rather meager. To make matters worse, Jewish Christians were often ostracized by their Jewish neighbors because of their faith in Jesus as the Messiah. Once-prosperous merchants lost their clientele. Newly converted trades people found that no one wanted to buy their wares. In response, Paul arranged an offering for the Jewish church. That offering sent a clear message: the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile is broken down. It was a sign to all that essentially the church is one. What an amazing thing! Jewish Christians would be eating from a table set by Gentile believers. Only a miracle of grace could create such a transformation in social relationships! This coming Sunday, the offerings that your church collects will no doubt be distributed around the world. In mission and diaconal service, peoples of many nations will be touched by your giving. As you put your dollars in the plate, think of your gift as a financial affirmation of the unity the church shares. Do your part to make this Sunday s offering a great collection! Our unity as the church of Christ is affirmed by our giving. How is this unity evident in your church? What other things might the church of Christ do to demonstrate our oneness in Jesus Christ?
Those Amazing Macedonians 2 Corinthians 8:1-9. They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us.... Through the years, churches often develop certain personalities. Some churches are known for their excellent music programs. Others are considered havens for people going through tough times. In this passage, Paul introduces us to a church that also has a personality of its own. First Church of Macedonia was known as a model of financial stewardship. These Macedonians were quite something. Paul tells us that they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service [of giving] to the saints (2 Cor. 8:4). I must confess I have never in my ministry had anyone plead with me for the opportunity to give. What was the key to the Macedonians generosity? The key was divine grace. We want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches, says Paul (v. 1). That grace motivates our giving in a powerful way. The Macedonians gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God s will (v. 5). The Macedonians gave before the plate was passed. That precious prior giving involves a giving of the entire self! Before they put their check in the plate, the Macedonians put themselves in the plate. You see, there is no real financial giving without the giving of self. Our personal practice of stewardship roots in our confession I am not my own but belong to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ (Heidelberg Catechism, Answer 1). But it wasn t enough for the Macedonians just to give themselves to God. They needed to give themselves also to Paul s ministry. They identified with Paul s work through encouragement and prayer. Once that happened, financial giving naturally followed. The same dynamic works in our own lives. I read a story about a faraway land that received a decree from their king. The decree was three simple words: Giving is forbidden. At first, when people saw the decree, they rejoiced. A great burden, many said, had been taken from off their shoulders. They would now have more time, money, and resources for themselves. But then it happened that a young boy picked some flowers for his mother, but she was forbidden to accept them. And a motorist ready to pull off to the side of the road to help a stranded traveler remembered that giving was now forbidden. It wasn t long before the people began to notice that the decree had not increased happiness, but lessened it. They sent a delegation to the king to say, We understand that you intended by your decree to lift the burden of giving. But we have discovered that giving is not a burden after all. Take back your decree and allow us to give once again. And so we discover too. Giving is not a burden. For our giving simply demonstrates the way we have given ourselves to God and to others.
Are you struggling with joyless giving? Have you given yourself to the causes your dollars support? The Paradox of Stewards 2 Corinthians 6:3-13. As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way:... having nothing and yet possessing everything. Every once in a while around the dinner table, we think of oxymorons those interesting expressions that seem to be contradictions in terms. Jumbo shrimp is an oxymoron. In 2 Corinthians 6, Paul indicates that Christians are no strangers to such contradictions. Christians are those who are dying to live. They are joyful in sorrow. They are poor but make many rich. They have nothing and yet possess everything (v. 10). What strange talk! How can we have nothing yet possess everything? Only if we understand ourselves in God s terms as stewards of God s immense riches. Consider Abraham, the prototype of Christian faith. Abraham s personal riches were dwarfed by the promise God made: To your offspring I will give this land (Gen. 12:7). Yet this man who possessed everything had nothing. When his wife Sarah died, Abraham needed to buy a cemetery plot from Ephron, a local Hittite. Abraham possessed everything, yet he had nothing. It happened again when Israel entered Canaan. The promise of the land was fulfilled. The tribes possessed everything. But not all the tribes. For one tribe, different rules applied. The tribe of Levi had no allotment in Israel (Deut. 18:1). No allotment? They owned nothing? Well, yes and no. They may have owned nothing but they possessed everything. For Scripture goes on to explain: They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the Lord is their inheritance as he promised them (v. 2). And now this is true of us, Abraham s children by faith. We possess everything; yet we have nothing. Why? Because everything we have really belongs to God. And in that reality is our joy! We can live as God s stewards. We can live as those who are entrusted not only with God s riches, but with God s own presence! To God be all glory! In this passage, Paul expresses many of the contradictions of the Christian life. Have you experienced the contradiction of stewardship even as we give our dollars away, we are continually enriched by God? What lasting changes in your stewardship practices would you like to make?