Practicing radical generosity is awesome! Deep down, most of us desire to be more charitable and to practice radical generosity. Doing it though can prove to be difficult.
We all will encounter the dreaded Jekyll and Hyde situation. The Dr. Jekyll part of us finds a charitable opportunity and makes a plan to practice radical generosity. We feel good about the giving opportunity knowing that someone will be positively impacted by this intentional act.
When suddenly, Mr. Hyde makes an unwelcome appearance. Mr. Hyde hates generosity. Our giving confidence was sky-high until Mr. Hyde played spoiler. Fear creeps into the brain. So-called logic takes over and we become paralyzed. Radical generosity takes a back seat to fear and selfishness.
It doesn’t have to be that way though.
Let’s spend a few moments together and discuss how practicing radical generosity is important.
Practicing radical generosity is the fulfillment of a command from Jesus. We practice radical generosity as a way to imitate God. This type of giving is not a one-time event but rather a lifestyle. We don’t have to be generous givers we get to be generous givers. Radical generosity is not about a specific sum of money. God knows what we have and never asks for what we don’t have.
What Is Radical Generosity
In my fallen nature, I am extremely selfish. Left to my own devices I would never give money away. Gratefully, God’s grace works in me inspiring and compelling me to give.
The idea of radical generosity, to God, is not radical at all. It’s simply being obedient to Him. However, in comparison to how our society operates it is absolutely radical. We, as disciples of Christ, must be willing to give everything away. Our lives are not our own, we were bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
We are commanded by Jesus to deny ourselves, to pick up our crosses, and to follow Him (Luke 9:23). This includes money.
Perhaps you feel that I’m being hypocritical or duplicitous. Nope — not at all. There is nothing wrong with having money. There is nothing wrong with having a lot of money. Problems arise when the money has us.
Ironically, we are simply giving something that always belonged to God anyway. I’m persuaded that money is simply a test for us while we’re here on earth. Will we be conformed to the image of Jesus and imitate God or will we build our own kingdom?
Why We Practice Radical Generosity
The first scripture I ever recall memorizing was John 3:16 in the old King’s English.
Think about the magnitude of what God gave to redeem us all. God is a great giver. God loved so much that He gave. He didn’t take and He didn’t kill — He gave.
Jesus freely gave His life for our redemption. The redemption of our souls is costly but Jesus willingly gave up His life to do so.
Paul instructed us all to imitate God (Ephesians 5:1). God so loved that He gave — we certainly can imitate Him in this activity.
Jesus, on several occasions, directed us to follow Him.
We practice radical generosity to imitate God and to follow the actions of Jesus.
When To Practice Radical Generosity
I like to ask people how they would spend one million dollars if they inherited it. Virtually everyone confesses they would give a hefty sum to charity. I don’t argue or engage but rather listen. The truth is that most would not give to charity unless they are already a regular giver.
Most of us will have $1,000,000 come into and go out of our bank accounts throughout our lives. It just comes to us in much smaller chunks. It’s easy to find ways to spend smaller checks without getting to the charity line of our budget.
According to Jesus, if we are generous with very little we will be generous when we have an abundance. We should not wait until we “hit it big” before we embark on the road of radical generosity. Zechariah asked, “Who dares despise the day of small things?” A mighty oak is simply an acorn that was willingly given to the soil.
It’s All His
Every penny we possess belongs to God. We are simply managers of these funds. That does not mean that every penny under our management can be willingly given at any time. Perhaps your money management has been a bit lax and there is not an abundance of money available to give away.
God knows what money is available (2 Corinthians 8:12). It’s dangerous when we believe that our bill money should be given as an offering. That’s not faithfulness but thievery.
Your creditors should not be delayed because you want to be generous to your church or another ministry.
Skip the coffee, fast food, and new shoes. Deny yourself and give.
If you still want to give but are unable to do so financially consider volunteering your time. Volunteering time still does not absolve us from wasting money, however.
Where To Practice Radical Generosity
Humanity is full of legitimate needs and there are no shortages of people or families who could use some financial help.
My wife and I have a soft spot for missionaries. We can only be in one place but our missionary friends are all over the world. Every missionary I know has a financial need. When we fund their mission we, in a relative manner, are going with them.
Church members should contribute to their place of worship. People often ask how much they should contribute to their church.
How Much Should We Give
Paul, in his two letters to the church at Corinth, gave some helpful direction concerning giving. In the first letter, he indicated that giving should be in relation to one’s income (1 Corinthians 16:2, NIV).
In the second letter, he indicated that we should give relative to what we have (2 Corinthians 8:11). He went one step further and wrote that we should give as we purpose in our heart (2 Corinthians 9:7).
A family earning $25,000 per year will find it nearly impossible to give $10,000 per year. If you earn $100,000 per year but you are mired in debt (even self-inflicted) it will be difficult to give $10,000 per year. Here’s the Ultimate Guide to Tithing.
If you want to give more but have an income problem find a way to earn more so that you can give more.
Is your debt prohibiting you from giving more? Declare war on your debt and proclaim your freedom.
You will not successfully give your way out of debt. Follow Paul’s three-point giving instructions.
It’s healthy to be angry that debt is crowding out your giving. Anger alone will not correct the problem though. You must roll up your sleeves and get busy demolishing it once and for all.
Practicing Radical Generosity When Money Is Tight
Aldi is a fantastic place to shop. The food quality is excellent and the prices are about 30% lower than most supermarkets. One of the ways Aldi passes savings on to the consumer is by requiring a twenty-five-cent deposit on your shopping cart.
Put in the quarter when you get the cart and if you bring it back you get your quarter is returned. If you want to see a person’s face light up simply give them your cart when you’re done. That’s it — just twenty-five cents and you are now on the path of radical generosity.
I see homeless people every workday asking for money. It’s not that difficult to drop a few quarters or dimes into their cup and move along. I get that many people have objections to this because of drug and alcohol abuse. Your concern is legitimate. I give it anyway. If you’re super concerned give something other than money.
I know some families who pack “giving bags” in their car or purse. It’s simply a Ziploc bag with a $5.00 gift card and a few items like gum. You’re only limited by your imagination and discretionary cash.
Work with your church to develop a One-Minute Mission program. Each month church members purchase a single item and bring it to the church. At the end of the month, a box of needed items is donated to a homeless shelter.
One month you might collect ibuprofen and the next month it might be deodorant.
Teamwork can make the dream work!
Practicing Radical Generosity Requires Effort
Radical generosity will at times be painful. All of us have unmet wants. Willingly sacrificing your annual vacation in order to ensure a village has ample mosquito nets will at first be exhilarating. However, when you see Instagram photos of your sister’s vacation to Europe reality will come crashing down.
Denying our wants becomes easier the more we cheerfully give. A lifestyle of radical generosity requires practice. Start where you are and refuse to compare your giving to anyone else.
Your giving is between you and God. Don’t allow anyone to guilt you into giving. Give cheerfully!
Biblical Examples of Practicing Radical Generosity
Exodus Tabernacle
The children of Israel eventually needed to build a tabernacle for worship. Moses, under God’s inspiration, proclaimed an offering of gold, silver, bronze, and many other items needed for the Tabernacle creation.
Moses indicated that the givers should be of a willing heart (Exodus 35:5). Once again we see that God wants us to give out of joy and love and not out of guilt, shame, or compulsion.
The offering commenced and the Israelites gave in a radical manner. Moses eventually had to command them to stop bringing items because there was an overflow!
The Macedonian Sacrifice
Paul provoked the church in Corinth by sharing a testimony of the generosity of the Macedonians. According to Paul, the Macedonians gave well beyond their ability.
It appears that he attempted to not accept their gift but they were insistent. Paul referred to the Macedonians as impoverished in comparison to the Corinthians. Despite their poverty, they joyfully gave in a sacrificial manner.
Giving sacrificially is not the same as putting your bill money in the offering. If you are in foreclosure, behind in your rent, and a few days from getting the lights shut off “sowing a seed” is not the answer to turn around your financial dumpster fire.
Get Out of that Tree
Zack was a chief tax collector. As such, he abused people for financial gain. One day he had a radical encounter with the King of kings and his life changed dramatically. God’s grace and mercy overtook him and he committed to give half of all his goods to the poor and to restore anything he took by a false accusation by four times. His wallet was redeemed (Luke 19:1-9).
Make Friends in Heaven
One of the most misunderstood parables is found in Luke’s Gospel — The Parable of the Unjust Steward (Luke 16:1-13). At first blush, it appears that Jesus is encouraging and admiring unethical behavior. We all know that He is not but determining the meaning of this parable has been elusive. My goal is to help bring some clarity to this parable.
We all will give an account for our stewardship of God’s resources. Paul told us that stewards must be found faithful. He also indicated that we all will give an account for things done in the body whether good or bad. I want to hear “Well done good and faithful servant” from Jesus on that Day.
The unjust steward and the master are not us and Jesus. It’s an illustration used by Jesus to make a point. The unjust steward did many unethical things and the master actually was surprised by his creativity and cunning. It was almost as if he said, “Well played cheater, well played” but he still was fired.
The steward was wasteful and gave the master’s money away with reckless abandon. He did this to buy future favors. The master was impressed.
Jesus comes into the parable in the ninth verse.
Friends In High Places
Luke 16:9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
What exactly is Jesus telling us? I suggest that He is telling us that it’s perfectly fine with Him that we practice radical generosity! It’s HIS money and He is giving us permission to be lavishly generous.
In doing so, we are making friends in our everlasting home — Heaven.
Perhaps you have given to an organization that helps women get free from human trafficking. One day in Heaven you will be greeted by a friend that you did not know who will tell you how your $10 gift helped them escape the horrors of their past life.
Think of every dollar that you have given and how lives are impacted positively. It’s exciting to think of all of the people we will meet in heaven!
The Grace to Give
I am fully persuaded that we, as redeemed Christians, have radical generosity coursing through our veins. Yes, we might need to position ourselves with debt freedom and a simplified life to make more funds available but the will to give is present.
God’s grace was upon the Macedonians to give radically and sacrificially. They begged Paul to take the gift and he did. The grace to give was upon the children of Israel when they were building the Tabernacle. The gifts were overwhelming and Moses had to put a stop to it!
These types of testimonies are rare in the modern church. Why?
We are unable to drum up the grace of God. Give pours out His grace upon us as He wills and when He wills.
Is it possible giving amounts are down not because people are selfish but because God’s grace is not poured out on certain projects?
As church leaders, we need to ensure that we are not using manipulation, coercion, guilt, or shame when asking for money. Additionally, our projects and requests need to be aligned fully with God’s work and not man-centered plans.
When we align with God’s plan the financial results are overwhelming and often too good to be true.
Just ask Moses and Paul.
I dare you to profit and I also dare you to begin practicing radical generosity!
