Eric Haynes

Grabbing Money April 25, 2011

When I was a teenager, I vowed that I would never give a church a red cent of my money.

Then God wormed His way into my hard heart and taught me the joy giving.  Once that first penny slipped from my tight-fisted hand, there was no turning back.  God began moving my heart from Selfish to Charitable.

But He didn’t stop there. He began to challenge me to be Extravagant in my giving, to the point that my wife would cringe whenever I would suggest giving money to some Need.  We sort of fell into an informal arrangement that if we were faced with a Need, we would both throw out a number, and the higher number was the one we went with.  I was winning these crazy bouts of spiritual roulette because I had quit being concerned about how God was going to use the finances.

Recently though, I’ve begun to notice that I’m not winning these contests any more.  For one thing, my lovely bride has been totally captured by the Extravagance of God and is giving like she was no longer a wife obsessed with financial security.  Crazy!

But on the other hand, I’ve noticed that I’m not jumping in with the same enthusiasm that I once had.  I’m not totally sure why that has happened, though it may have something to do with having worked in a small-budget non-profit for the past 8 years.  I spent a lot of time getting other people to give cheerfully while I carefully counted the proceeds, nervously hoping we’d make budget by year-end.

And though my wife and I give more money away than we ever have, I’m concerned that my heart isn’t in it; I’ve slipped from Extravagant back to Charitable.  You see, I don’t think you can measure the Journey of Giving by only how much you give, but by how you give it and how willingly you are to do it.

I was recently hit by Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians:

^6-7Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.

^8-11God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it,

He throws caution to the winds,
giving to the needy in reckless abandon.
His right-living, right-giving ways
never run out, never wear out.

This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.

^12-15Carrying out this social relief work involves far more than helping meet the bare needs of poor Christians. It also produces abundant and bountiful thanksgivings to God. This relief offering is a prod to live at your very best, showing your gratitude to God by being openly obedient to the plain meaning of the Message of Christ. You show your gratitude through your generous offerings to your needy brothers and sisters, and really toward everyone. Meanwhile, moved by the extravagance of God in your lives, they’ll respond by praying for you in passionate intercession for whatever you need. Thank God for this gift, his gift. No language can praise it enough! (The Message)

What is fascinating is that God is the one who give with reckless abandon!!  He let’s me sit and ponder and choose who and what I want to give to (with His money, no less), but He will take my decisions and make them Extravagant!

So, for me, the next step is to take a step towards Extravagant again.  I think I need to re-engage how we give and be excited and passionate about what we are giving to.  Giving is not an option.  But God loves it when we’re so engaged in the giving that Joy erupts every time we let go of another penny for the sake of His Glory.  I think God meant for our Giving to be Fun.

How about you? Is Giving something Fun, Painful, or Neither?  If it isn’t fun, you may want to consider the state of your heart.