Fighting Our Illusion of Generosity

Most of us assume we'll be generous once we have more. That is an illusion. Generosity grows out of grace and gratitude, and it can start wherever you are today. It also reaches past money into your time, your words, and your forgiveness.

Where does real generosity come from?

Real generosity comes from grace and gratitude. The weekend message behind this Beyond Sunday episode summed it up in a simple equation: grace plus gratitude leads to generosity.

Pastor Adrian Cruz added that generosity is the gospel in action. When you become more like Jesus, you become more generous, because that is who He is. His guest on the episode said the message planted a seed. Generosity needs to be fruit that shows up on the surface of your life, not something you keep holding on to. None of us has arrived.

Should you wait until you have more to be generous?

No. You can be generous wherever you are, and you have to practice generosity now, not later. If you aren't generous with a little, it isn't logical to think you will be with much. Your mind will try to convince you otherwise.

Paul makes this point in 2 Corinthians 8. He writes to the church in Corinth, which was wealthy, influential, and educated, and he points them to the churches of Macedonia. Macedonia was one of the poorest places in the region, worn down by war and economic collapse. Yet the Macedonians gave more.

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.

2 Corinthians 8:1 to 2

Pastor Adrian's guest named the illusion directly. We tell ourselves that once we hit a certain number or a certain level of comfort, then we'll get uncomfortable and give. The poor church out-gave the rich one because generosity is a matter of the heart, not the bank account.

Why does giving feel like losing?

Giving feels like losing because we measure it by the world's math. God's kingdom runs on an upside-down economy: those who give are blessed, the first will be last, and the greatest is the servant.

It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Acts 20:35

There is also a quieter danger. You can stop honoring God for what you have and start believing your own good work earned it, so it is yours to keep. In reality, God gave you the talents and the opportunity. What was generously given to you is meant to flow through you. The guest on the episode said his prayer has become, "God, who am I to hold back what You've freely given?"

Jesus' parable of the talents shows the same thing. The servants who multiplied what they were given heard their master say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" (Matthew 25:21). You don't gain in order to become something. You gain so you can give and bless others.

Can having too little or too much pull you from God?

Yes, and the answer to both is a habit set in advance. Some people drift from God when life gets hard. Others drift when life gets easy.

Lack can push you toward dependence on God, and excess can make you think you got here on your own. For example, the episode points to Matthew 19:24, where Jesus says it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Pastor Adrian named today's versions of that distraction: things, social media, and news in a world that's so loud. The way to stay steady is to build a rhythm of closeness to God before your circumstances change. If you stay close to Him when life is good, you'll still be close when it isn't. Change your rhythms first, and you won't be thrown when your circumstances change.

What does grace have to do with generosity?

Grace is the reason you give. Grace is God's undeserved generosity toward you. Everything you have, including your forgiveness, came from a generous God.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

2 Corinthians 8:9

One line from the weekend stuck with Pastor Adrian: grace that hasn't flowed through you might not have reached you. Every one of us has said, thought, and done things we shouldn't have, and we have still been forgiven. Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Knowing that, the only fitting response is generosity.

Is forgiveness a form of generosity?

Yes. Forgiveness may be the hardest kind of generosity, and the one we guard most closely. Many people are happy to share their time and talents, but their money and their forgiveness are the idols nobody can touch.

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew 6:14 to 15

When someone hurts you, being close to the pain can create false narratives in your mind. Zoom out. Remember what God has forgiven you for. Then look at what this person did and ask, "Who am I to hold on to this?" Holding a grudge is like drinking poison and hoping it hurts the other person. In Acts 8, Peter tells Simon the sorcerer that he is "full of bitterness." Bitterness poisons your own heart and produces bad fruit.

The way of Jesus can look like a step backward. It means choosing not to strike back with your words, or not to step on someone to climb the ladder. But you follow a Savior who washed feet and willingly laid down His life. Generosity in every part of your life will be more fulfilling than scrambling to protect what you think is yours.

Common questions

What does 2 Corinthians 8 teach about generosity?

Paul holds up the poor Macedonian churches, who gave joyfully during a severe trial, as an example for wealthy Corinth. He grounds generosity in Jesus, who became poor so that we could become rich.

Should I wait until I have more money to give?

No. Generosity is practiced now, with what you have. If you aren't generous with a little, more money is unlikely to change your heart.

Is generosity only about money?

No. Generosity includes your time, talents, words, and forgiveness. The grace that has reached you is meant to flow through every part of your life.

What is the connection between generosity and forgiveness?

God was generous to forgive us while we were still sinners. Releasing others from what they owe you is one of the clearest ways that grace flows through you.