Legacy | Starting Point
“Even if I pay off every debt, build a fully funded emergency fund, invest wisely for retirement, save for my children's college fund, and pay off my house early, I could still be missing the most important personal finance principle—giving!”
If you are a follower of the way of Jesus, I must presume you agree with that statement. Note, I said as a follower of the way of Jesus, though generosity and service have been proven to benefit all people, even if they are not yet followers of the way. For reference, see our last sermon in the series Happy.
We have been on a sweeping journey together so far and have covered some incredibly practical steps to help you secure financial freedom and establish a legacy that lasts. You can do everything I have shared, but if you miss this last piece, you miss an essential principle—generosity. The issue many of us have with generosity is we are so overwhelmed with how our life is organised that the thought of giving can leave us feeling defeated. But you do not have to be defeated. Today can be the beginning of a new era in your life. Today can be the beginning of cementing a new legacy, casting a financial vision, and starting the next phase of your journey.
The Scriptures reveal to us repeatedly that God wants to give you grace for the journey toward surrendered generosity, but your part in that journey is knowing where you are and what is your starting point.
To help you in your journey toward surrendered generosity, I will share each step of the journey, so you can identify where you are and ask God to help you get to where you are going. Every person is on some part of this journey, so there is no judgement. Every aspect of the journey is marked by a question and some associated thoughts and attitudes, which I will cover.
Honesty is vital.
The first stage of this journey toward surrendered generosity is called the Initial Giver Stage. The initial giver generally has one primary question:
What do I do with my stuff?
At this stage in your journey, which we have all gone through or are going through, what you have is very much viewed as yours. You are just beginning the journey, but you are starting to come alive to the fact that giving is probably correct, and you should probably understand God's plan for you concerning your resources.
At this stage of the journey, education and investment from the church are crucial, hence the diligence and practicality of this series and the forthcoming church-wide financial literacy training next year. If you are in this journey stage, you are not alone. We read together from Paul's letter to Corinth at the top of our time. Though gifted in so many other areas [see 2 Corinthians 8:7-8] NLT, the Corinthians were challenged in their giving.
Paul implores them to match their excellence in their other gifts with excellence in giving. He sees giving as a test of the genuineness of their love. Paul reminds them giving is responsive to God giving His first and best in Jesus. [see 2 Corinthians 8:9] NLT Jesus divested Himself of Heaven's riches so that those who trust Him would be wealthy with righteousness and abundant life for eternity! Yet, even as Paul challenges them at their stage in the journey, he gives them grace space for where they are. Listen to his words here:
“Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don't have.“ [see 2 Corinthians 8:12] NLT
There are two massive things we must not miss in that sentence. First, note that Paul says anything you give is good if your heart is right. As long as you eagerly return to God a portion of what is His, it is a good gift. The second thing to note is Paul encourages people to give from what they have, not trying to give from what they do not have. It is God's grace for the journey. Many of our lives are organised such that if we tried to give even ten per cent today, a bill would not get paid, or life might come undone as we have it.
So what do you do?
As we said in part three of this blog series, make a budget. Give a percentage you can now—weekly—without financial injury to yourself or your loved ones. Whatever it is, give it—even if it seems insignificant to you. Make a plan to reorganise your life and eliminate debts. Thank God for the grace and space to be on a journey toward freedom and legacy-level impact. Dream of giving more, and then do it!
The Consistent Giver Stage is the second stage of the journey toward surrendered generosity. Also, in one of his letters to Corinth, Paul shares with them the principle of sowing and reaping, which a consistent giver is versed in, and for the most part, believes.
“Remember this—Paul writes—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” [see 2 Corinthians 9:6-8] NLT
Paul's illustrative words are clear. If you sow a few seeds, you will have a small crop. If you give sparingly, you will receive blessings sparingly. But if you give back to God cheerfully, not under pressure or guilt, God will meet your needs and give you more than you need.
Like the initial giver, this journey stage has a question, thoughts, attitudes and practices. The question in this journey stage is:
what do I do with God's stuff?
This question acknowledges that God owns everything you have, and giving is not as hard as you thought. You are inspired and moving away from guilt. Though sometimes a sense of hesitation or stress is associated with giving, you give. Giving at this stage is often impulsive and inconsistent, but it is happening.
The Intentional Giver Stage is the third stage of the journey toward surrendered generosity. The question at this stage reveals a profound shift in thinking and mentality. The question at this stage is at the heart of the message in week two of our Legacy Series, God Owns. I Manage. What is that question, you wonder?
What does God want me to do with God's stuff?
At this stage in the journey, you will notice the "I" sentiment is gone. At this stage, it is no longer about what I want and is no longer considered my stuff. At this stage of the journey, you begin to count the costs of following the way of Jesus [Luke 14:28-35] and have determined that following Jesus' way means doing things Jesus' way, with Jesus' joy! At this stage in the journey, your giving is budgeted—first line item—consistent, and a specific dollar amount or percentage.
The fourth stage on our journey to surrendered generosity is called the Spiritual Giver Stage. When you hear this, it is fair to wonder to yourself, “what is the difference between the Intentional Giver Stage of the journey and the Spiritual Giver stage?” It is this: the question changes again. Instead of asking, “what does God want me to do with God's stuff,” the question is:
What does God want me to give from what God has given?
At this stage in the journey, scriptures like those listed below have become roadmaps for how one lives their life.
“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first part of everything you produce.” Proverbs 3:9 [NLT]
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38 [NIV]
“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven's Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!” Malachi 3:10 [NLT]
What more extraordinary invitation can one have to honour God with their wealth and what they produce and then test His blessing when they return to Him the first and best of it? One late evangelist and larger-than-life public figure said, “We have found in our own home…that God's blessing upon the nine-tenths, when we tithe, helps it to go farther than ten-tenths without His blessing.” Clearly, God wants us to give from the first of our income. We are not giving from what is leftover, but rather a deliberate giving of the first of our income that comes in.
People at this stage of the journey believe those words. There is a true joy in their tithing and bringing their first and best to God. These see generosity as a mark of true spiritual maturity. There is a total reliance on God and trust in Him. There is confidence in their giving as they tithe at least ten per cent and perhaps give even a bit more.
No, it doesn't make sense that things will be better when we give all this money away, but I have found it to be true in my own life and from the countless other tithing testimonies I have heard and read. Others have as well.
“I Never Would Have Been Able To Tithe The First Million Dollars I Ever Made If I Had Not Tithed My First Salary, Which Was $1.50 Per Week.”
—John D. Rockefeller
You may think this has to be the journey's end, but it is not. You see, the last leg of the journey toward surrendered generosity is just that, the Surrendered Giver Stage. The key to this journey stage is in the title; it is a life of total and complete surrender, a surrender that leads to extravagant, maybe even irrational, generosity. People in this stage of the journey have an even more profound question by which they live:
what does God want me to keep from what He has given?
Do you see the subtle shift at this stage? No longer are you or I asking what we should do with our stuff or what we should do with God's stuff. No longer are you and I asking what it is God has instructed us to do with His stuff or what we should give back to God from His stuff.
At this stage, you are preoccupied with asking how much you get to keep to give away as much as possible. You are moved to consider lifestyle choices that allow you to keep less—smaller homes, older vehicles, fewer vacations, for example. And there is peace, joy, and contentment in the decision.
Two stories powerfully illustrate this, one from the scriptures and one from history. In [1 Chronicles 29], two incredible things happen, a transfer of power and an irrational display of generosity. David, Israel's beloved and revered ancient king, is preparing to die, and he is passing the torch to his son Solomon who, among other things, will carry forward the work of building a place of God's dwelling presence. [see 1 Chronicles 29:2]
Because the task is enormous, David says he has leveraged all of his influence to gather as much as possible to build God's house of worship and presence. [1 Chronicles 29:3] It seems fitting he would do this, but the ancient king goes further.
He says to the people:
“And now, because of my devotion to the Temple of my God, I am giving all of my own private treasures of gold and silver to help in the construction. This is in addition to the building materials I have already collected for his holy Temple. I am donating more than 112 tons of gold from Ophir and 262 tons of refined silver to be used for overlaying the walls of the buildings and for the other gold and silver work to be done by the craftsmen. Now then, who will follow my example and give offerings to the Lord today?” [see 1 Chronicles 29:3-5] NLT
David's devotion to God and his people inspired his irrational gift of all he had. One hundred and twelve tons of gold. Two hundred and sixty-two tons of silver. Tons.
Admittedly, I am not at this stage in my journey, but Breanna and I have a plan, and we are inspired by David's irrational gift and by men like R.G. LeTourneau. R. G. LeTourneau (1888 – 1969) was a Christian industrialist who dedicated his life to "being a businessman for God." Though he dropped out of school in the sixth grade and was largely in debt through the first several years of his business, because of shady partners and the Great Depression, he eventually became hugely successful, designing and developing his line of earth-moving equipment. God blessed him because he continually gave back to God his first and best.
In 1935, with the gigantic profits pouring out of his manufacturing business, at the gentle suggestion of his wife Evelyn, the LeTourneau's transitioned to a 90/10 split with the Lord. Ninety per cent went to the Lord, and ten per cent went to R.G. and Evelyn. LeTourneau was fond of remarking, “It's not how much of my money I give to God, but how much of God's money I keep for myself.”
With the money, they established the LeTourneau Foundation to manage the administration of donations. By 1959, after giving $10 Million in donations to religious and educational works, the LeTourneau Foundation was still worth some $40 Million.
Another of his famous quips was, “I shovel out the money, and God shovels it back—but God has a bigger shovel.” – R. G. LeTourneau You might think, “I would give 90% too if I were a multi-millionaire.” Maybe you would. LeTourneau didn't start wealthy; he started poorly. But he trusted God with his first and best at every stage of the journey, and God kept giving him more to manage.
Reading all that we covered today, your call is clear if you are a follower of Jesus' way—Join God on the journey to surrendered generosity. He will be with you and bless you every step of the way.