When I was young, Dad would often give me some coins to throw in the bag when the collection was taken up at church. But I still clearly remember the first time I gave a chunk of my own money.
I was about 9, and my parents had been hosting a seminar led by a man flown in from the United States. People travelled hours to come, packing tightly into our usually spacious living room. I listened with rapt attention, fascinated by the many colourful stories the man shared.
At the end of one of his talks he made a quick appeal for donations to cover the costs involved in his ministry. I felt that I just had to give something to help, so I raced down the hallway to my bedroom, trampling multiple toes as I went, and grabbed my carefully guarded wallet of cash.
I thought I would give a coin or two, but when I went back the Tupperware bowl came around and I did the unthinkable—instead of pulling out one of my coins, or even the $20 bill I had been saving up for weeks, I found myself flipping my entire wallet upside down over the bowl. My cheeks went bright red as I noticed people looking at me, but I held the wallet there and gave a good shake. The note came out, and my pile of coins—all four of them. I had just given everything I had! And it felt great.
But now that I've painted this great picture of myself as a kid I have to confess the next morning was very different! I looked carefully through every part of my empty wallet trying to find a coin snagged in the leather somehow—it was a futile exercise! I now had no money. That Lego set I had been eyeing up was going to have to wait. And I found myself regretting what I had done, asking myself over and over again why did I give all that I had? Surely the coins would have been enough to give me brownie points with God?
Called to generosity
I actually became quite a tight-fisted person after that, always keeping a firm eye on my finances. But thankfully I have some generous brothers and now a very generous wife, and slowly they have been rubbing off on me. Recently I was asked to give a message on tithes and offerings at my church and it set me to thinking as to the reasons behind why, as a Christian, I am called to be generous.
I found myself looking at the flagship verse of Christianity:
John chapter 3, verse 16: 'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.'
At the very heart of the gospel is the generosity of God. Love compels Him to give, even at great cost to Himself. We see this correlation between love and giving many times throughout the New Testament. God is a God of love, and out of that love for us He gave His only Son. Jesus Christ walked upon this earth as a man, died our death, and took our punishment in our place and in so doing gave us the ultimate gift of all—eternal life!
As a Christian I am called to imitate this loving, generous God:
Ephesians chapter 5, verse 1: 'Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.'
Every part of my life is impacted by this: the way I talk, the things I do, both privately and publicly, and the way I order my finances—all need to be based off the image of God found in the Bible. And the God I see presented is a God of love who let that love compel him to extreme generosity.
Thomas Devenish lives in Hobart, Tasmania. He works as a motion designer and enjoys the diverse experiences life has to offer, from wake-boarding to curling up with a good book on a rainy day.
Thomas Devenish's previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/thomas-devenish.html