A Shortcut to Generosity
It is my joy to study and discuss what generosity looks like in the life of a believer. You’ll probably notice that several of my authored articles on CFAN discuss some realm of generosity.
I was speaking with another Christian advisor recently who shares this passion - seeing the joys of generosity awaken in the lives of his clients.
This is typically a long process - finding joy in generosity. It isn’t something that someone just wills to happen overnight because generosity is different than giving.
If generosity and giving were the same thing, then we can easily please God by giving more money, time, and expertise away. But that’s not the case. Second Corinthians 9:6-7 says that God loves a cheerful giver. In the book of Malachi we see people give sacrifices to the Lord, but the Lord says that he takes no pleasure in the people and that they have despised the name of the Lord.
It’s not about the gift (in quality or amount), but rather it is about the heart behind the gift that makes someone generous. That is why someone cannot just become generous overnight.
As the other advisor and I discussed this, he mentioned something that stuck with me. He said that there is one shortcut to generosity he has found in his experience: an event called a Journey of Generosity.
He vocalized something that I hadn’t fully been able to articulate in the past, but I certainly agreed with. I have been a part of these events in the past as a participant and as a facilitator and it really is true. A Journey of Generous (or JOG) has been the only shortcut to becoming more generous that I have come across as well.
Why is This Shortcut Important?
At an event for Christian Financial Advisors, John Reinhart gave a talk on “The Single Greatest Rival to Faith in Jesus Christ.” He mentioned the following statement in his talk: “If this next generation of church-raised kids walks away from faith in Jesus it will not be because they found Islam, or Hinduism, or Buddhism so attractive and compelling and life-giving. No. They will walk away from Jesus because their new god will be materialism.”
While we can’t predict the future, I can see why he believes this: Materialism pairs so well with the self-focused culture that we find ourselves in currently. Even inside of the church, we can see the tension of holding onto our possessions instead of being open-handed with what God has given to us.
The numbers state that 75% to 90% of church members do not tithe (10% of income). Forty percent of church members don’t give anything at all..
But even among those who give regularly to the church the number of believers who are generous will be less than that. Mirroring what we mentioned in the first section about generosity coming from the heart, Jesus condemned the Pharisees who were giving a tenth of not only their income, but their herbs (Matthew 23:23).
To contrast the issue, a lack of generosity, I want to highlight a reason generosity is important: Generosity begets generosity. This comes in two forms.
First, the more we are aware of the generosity we have received the more we naturally become more generous towards others. Is there a greater gift that we’ve received than new life in Jesus Christ? This is the unsearchable riches that we find in Ephesians 3:8-9.
The second form is where we see the joy of others in generosity. As we see others participate in acts of generosity, we are inspired by the joy found and naturally long to participate in the same mission.
Journey of Generosity
As believers, we are all on the same mission and can be inspired by others who share stories of their journey to glorify God in all that they do. In part, this is what a Journey of Generosity event strives to do. To inspire believers to find joy through stories, study, and discussion of Generosity amongst other believers.
These events are retreats with peers where you will have structured time to watch videos of other’s generosity and discuss it together, to study passages of scripture, to have reflection time and questions, and to pray.
It is typically a one day (8hr) or two day (4hr each) event led by a facilitator who is not there to teach you about generosity or tell you how to get better, but to facilitate intentional questions throughout the discussion and reflection times.
To ensure that the retreats are a safe place for Christians to discuss generosity, Generous Giving (the non-profit who orchestrates the retreats) is a self-funded organization, they will not ask for you to “give” during the event (or after), nor do they allow any facilitators to fundraise at the retreats.
A successful retreat does not end with you giving money to a specific organization, but rather, that your heart would desire to reflect the generous nature that we find in our savior.
What’s Next?
So, what’s next? If you are interested in learning more about a JOG, I’d encourage you to take a look at their website. There is a video with more information there.
Additionally if you are thinking that you know a few people who would want to do one of these retreats and you have a date in mind, there is a button half way down that page that says “Contact Us About Hosting.” You can help set up the time and place for the retreat and Generous Giving can help provide a trained facilitator. Additionally, you can find online JOGs that you can participate in on the website as well.
“We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. […] But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also.”
2 Corinthians 8 verses 1 and 7
As Paul encouraged the Corinthians here to excel in the act of grace that is generosity, I encourage you to explore the same. Take part in a Journey of Generosity retreat to find a shortcut to increased generosity.
