Begging To Give

Growing up in the country of Mexico there were rarely any American toys. GI Joe and Star Wars toys were hard to come by. So anytime we travelled to the United States, I would dream of the toys I would see. The closer we got to the Texas border, the more excited I became. The moment we crossed the border, we begged my parents to make our first stop the mall. Why? Because inside the mall was the toy Store - my dream come true! Now, we all know what it’s like to want something and not stopping until we get it. But what if instead of begging to get something, we were begging to give something? Does that sound strange to you?

In 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 Paul is writing the Corinthian church about the church in Macedonia. Paul has been collecting an offering to send to the poor and suffering Christians in Jerusalem. The Corinthians have joined Paul and have been collecting their portion for close to a year. Paul is asking them to complete what they started by encouraging them with the Macedonian's effort to join them. Paul says that the Macedonians were being severely afflicted themselves, yet in their joy and in spite of their rock bottom poverty they were begging to join Paul in giving to the Jerusalem church. (2 Corinthians 8:4) They desired to give, they were ready to give, they were begging to give. And they did, according to their means, and some how, even beyond their means. Their generosity was a sign of the grace of God given to them in Jesus Christ - Paul goes on to say that Jesus, though He was rich became poor, so that out of His poverty we might become rich.

From this passage I identify three types of people:

First, those that are not ready to be generous: there is no desire to give, therefore any giving is forced. Unfortunately, these people have a HARDENED HEART and they ask “Why should I give? Why should I want to give?” But those who keep their money, home, possessions and lives to themselves will not know the grace, the riches of God’s love. On the other hand, the Macedonian's heart was anything but hard and gave all they could.

Second, those that are ready to be generous: there is a desire to begin to give, therefore there might be reorganizing and restructuring in their lifestyle (i.e. budget, etc.). Fortunately, these people have a CONVICTED AND REPENTANT HEART and they ask “Why do I not give? Why do I not want to give?” They begin to look away from themselves. For the Macedonians, generosity became a lifestyle, not just a one time gift.

Third, those that are begging to be generous: they give joyfully, sacrificially, abundantly, faithfully, meaningfully, helpfully, and worshipfully. These people have a THANKFUL HEART and they ask “Who should I give to? What should I give them?” Generosity must go beyond what we know and where we are. The Macedonians were giving to a people they had never met in a church they had never visited.

Which one of the three groups do I fall into? Which do you?

If generosity is the engine of serving and the proof of genuine love, then let me leave you with some questions I’ve been asking myself to help me uncover the proof of my generosity:

1. Do people like me?
2. How often do people seek me out?
3. How do I repay people I seek out?
4. How quick am I to help someone?
5. How hospitable am I?
6. Do I get away with giving as little as possible?
7. Do I get away with buying the cheapest gift I can?
8. Besides Christmas and birthdays, do I give to others?
9. Do I tithe to my church?
10. Do I give to people I don’t know, who will never know I gave to them?

Christians should be the most generous people on the planet because of the generous grace of God given to them in Jesus Christ.