I once heard a story that illustrates a very important, but oftentimes understated, principle. A grandmother was commenting on her 8-year-old grandson’s interest in their congregation’s effort to help collect funds for orphans overseas. He would save his allowance and put the money in a container for the special contribution. When she asked him why he was so interested in helping out with this, his response was simple but powerful. “I want to help kids who need to be helped, and all I would do with the money anyway is buy another toy.” The grandmother commented, “I wonder how many toys I could give up to help others in need?”
Children have tender hearts, and many times they have a better insight into the kind of heart God wants us to have than what we adults sometimes demonstrate. Certainly, God wants us to have a heart of generosity, which comes from understanding how blessed we truly are. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth about this after they began to hesitate in fulfilling a promise to give generously for the needs of the poor saints elsewhere. He reminded them, “Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation” (2 Corinthians 9:5 NKJV). Paul did not want them to think they were being taken advantage of by giving to help the needs of others, to have an attitude of greed or to hoard for themselves the blessings God had given them. He goes on to say, “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:6–8).
What are the toys of our hearts and lives that we could let go of to offer more in return to our God? It doesn’t involve just our finances but the use of our time, talents and the whole of our lives. Paul wanted the church in Ephesus to make the most of their time (Ephesians 5:16). The Parable of the Talents (gold or silver by weight) reminds us not to bury our blessings in selfishness but to use them to fulfill the will of God (Matthew 25:14–30). All of our lives should be lived to please God, since He is the source of all the blessings we have. “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Certainly, none of us individually possess all the resources needed to provide for all the necessities of life that are lacking in the lives of others around us. All of us should, however, from time to time, take inventory of how we make use of what God has blessed us. Do we see opportunities to be channels of blessings? God told Abram, “…I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2 ESV). Are we using our blessings to be a blessing to others? In the Judgment, we will give account of how we have responded to each other (Matthew 25:31–46). May we seek to cultivate a spirit of generosity in our hearts, so God may enable us to excel in every good work. “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10 NKJV).
