The Temptation of Generosity - July 6, 2009

Good Monday morning! A back to work day for many of us, and a chance to recover from the sleep lost to fireworks on this weekend. Wait... did I just tell you to catch up on sleep at work? Oops, my bad! Some things in this life may not be as they appear at first. Can we be tempted by things that should be good? Yes, if we stray into wrong attitudes or beliefs. Generosity is something Jesus commanded us to do with regard to feeding the poor. Yet, is it possible to be tempted into sin through generosity?

Absolutely, it is possible to become sinful through generosity. How do we accomplish this seemingly contradictory action? We might start thinking that our giving will get us something from the Lord, as in "if I give the Lord this $20, He will shower blessings on my bank account." Another way we might stray from the right path is in thinking that we are doing the Lord a service or a favor by giving a gift or offering. We might want to shout it from the rafters, "look what I did for the Lord!" As though we are somehow being generous to the God who gave us everything. Perhaps the worst sin that can come from generosity is pride. A person might go from "look what I did" to standing in God's place by allowing the feeling of superiority that comes from pride to creep in. "Without my giving this church would only be half of what it is now..."

A person might fall into the trap of thinking his good works can save him. Jesus said "I am the Way...": a person in his pride might state that his generosity deserves a place in heaven. In effect proposing a different way to heaven than through the Son. We have seen that it is usually the person giving from an excess of riches that thinks this, and not the person with only a little giving all he or she has.

Generosity is a good thing, but the twisting lies of the devil can make us believe that we are responsible for our good works instead of giving the glory to God. We would have nothing to give from without the grace of our Lord in providing for us in the first place. How do we avoid falling into pride when giving? Easy, give God the glory and thank Him for the ability to give. Don't seek recognition in your gifts, tithes, or offerings. Most of all, believe in Jesus and know that He is the only way to Heaven.

Enjoy the new day in Christ!

Bucky