The Gospel Cultivates Generosity

During the month of June we are thinking about the topic of how the gospel cultivates generosity in the hearts of God’s people. After all, it is generosity that lies at the heart of the gospel. Just think about the overwhelming display of generosity as Jesus stepped out of heaven, took on the form of His own creation, lived the life that we couldn’t live, died the death that we deserved to die, and raised victorious over sin and death so that we could receive salvation as a gift of faith. It is this staggering display of generosity and love that has led to our lives being changed both now and for all of eternity. It is no wonder why the Christian life is inherently marked by radical generosity!

And yet, when you look around the modern church landscape, there seems to be a void of this type of generosity to which Scripture calls us. Instead of living open-handed with the resources that God has entrusted to us as stewards, the temptation is often to cling to those resources and to chase after more as if material possessions will bring fulfillment and satisfaction to our lives. So the question is, how should we think about the resources that God has entrusted to us and what does it look like to operate with a growing wisdom from God in how we utilize and distribute those resources? I believe the answer is fairly simple and is clearly evidenced in the story of the Rich Young Ruler. Three of the four gospels tell the story of a wealthy young man who approached Jesus to ask what he must DO to inherit eternal life. The response that Jesus gave to the man, and the instruction that Jesus gave to His disciples following that interaction, help us understand how we are called to relate to the resources that God has entrusted to us.

Here is the passage found in the Gospel of Mark:  “And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ ” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:17-27)

As we think about this for our lives, notice first that this rich young ruler was extremely wealthy, but he was not satisfied. From an earthly perspective this young man would have had it all. He had his youth, he had a position of power and influence that went well beyond his age, and he had attained great amounts of wealth. And yet, there was something that was clearly missing from his life. He was not satisfied or content with his position or with what he had accumulated. The powerful lesson here for our lives is that the things of this world will never satisfy us — they will only leave us wanting. I have known extremely wealthy people who, despite all of their possessions, lack any sense of fulfillment or satisfaction in their lives. I have also known (and have done life with) some of the poorest people in the world who have an incredible joy that cannot be taken from them by circumstance. I can say with utter confidence that the pursuit and the accumulation of more resources in our lives does not lead to greater satisfaction, but to less.

So the question then becomes, “what does lead to satisfaction and fulfillment in our lives?” We see the answer to this question in how Jesus responds to this rich young ruler. Jesus responds to him by pointing to the law. You will notice that Jesus lists six of the ten commandments in referencing the law. The young man indicates that he has kept all of those commandments. But then notice how Jesus points to the first commandment, which the man has clearly missed in his heart. In calling this man to give away all of his possessions to the poor and to follow Him, Jesus was cutting right to the quick of the issue in the man’s heart. He had placed money before God. He had made the pursuit and the accumulation of more an idol in his heart. We recognize this as the central issue as Mark tells us that “the man went away sorrowful, because he had great possessions.”

What is clearly at the center of this conversation is the condition and the disposition of the heart. To be clear, God does not need money from us. We are told in Acts 17:25 that “God is not served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” What God desires from us is our heart. And it is when we give our hearts to God that we experience a growing sense of satisfaction and contentment in His presence. It is in His presence where the heart is set free from the love of money and the pursuit of things, so that we can distribute freely as God leads us in wisdom. This is how Jesus phrased it in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 19:  “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 19:19-21; 24)

As we think about living generously for the glory of God, let’s understand that the central issue is not how much we have, but whether or not God has our heart. Where the heart is pointed toward Him and the eyes are fixed on Jesus, He will grow us in generosity that reflects the radical generosity that He has lavished upon us in the gospel!


Because of Christ,

Jeff Neville