A New Way of Giving
A Story about the Source
Years ago, a man was building a house in rural New England. Needing water for his new home, he commissioned an expert to dig a well for him. The old well digger, seasoned in the art of his trade, scouted out the property, searching for the right spot to sink a shaft. Sure enough, he found an underground river and put in a well.
Packing up his gear to leave, he left the homeowner with some important advice: “Every day you must pump some water from the well. If you don’t, you’ll be sorry.” The homeowner thanked the man for the advice, and for weeks, he followed the well digger’s counsel and pumped water every day.
As time went on, the homeowner began to take the cool, sweet water for granted. One day, he left on a trip and forgot to get someone to pump water for him each day while he was away. When he returned, the water at the bottom of the well was stagnant and almost gone. He tried pumping in fresh water, but nothing came out.
Later, he went to town and told the well digger his well had dried up. The old gentleman asked, “Did you remember to pump water from the well every day?” The younger man confessed his neglect and asked why this mattered. The well digger replied, “The water in the well comes from an underground river that feeds the small tributaries of water, which are connected to your well. Water must continue to flow through these small tributaries so that the well can receive water. If you quit pumping the water, the ground will dry up slightly, and the underground river can’t find its way to your well. This cuts off the water supply.”
Then the old man concluded, “Remember, the source of the water is the river, not the well.”
– from Take God at His Word, by Dr. Kregg Hood
We Are Not the Source
We live in a world where people are consumed with consuming. We want what we want, and we often get what we want. We think we are the source of what we have. That’s because we work hard, because we got the degree, put in the time, woke up early, stayed up late, that’s the reason we are where we are in life. And listen, I believe in hard work. I am thankful that my father instilled within me a hard work ethic. I believe that is so important. But we do have to be mindful that we are NOT the source of what we have. There is a Source. And we do have a part to play. But we are NOT the Source.
Here’s why this is so important. If I think I’m the source of everything I have, then I know what I’m going to do. I’m going to work as hard as I can to keep what’s mine. I’m going to put a fence around it. I’m going to protect it. I’m probably not going to share it because I worked hard for it. I earned it.
BUT… if I realize that while I worked hard for what I have, I am not the Source, then something shifts. Something changes. When I realize there is a Source, there is a river, but I am not the Source, I’m just a well, I am a recipient of water from the River, then instead of having an attitude and posture of protecting what’s mine, now I have an attitude and posture of gratitude for what I’ve received. Did I have to go out every day and pump the water so the well doesn’t dry up? Yes. That was my part. But I am not the Source of the water, the Source of the Water is the River. I’m just the well. And because I am the well, I am grateful for the water I receive AND I am more than happy to share that water with you.
A Different Way of Giving According to Jesus
Jesus has something to teach us about money in the Sermon on the Mount. And this isn’t about what God wants from you, it’s about what God wants for you. As we work our way through the Sermon on the Mount, we are at the point in the teaching of Jesus where He talks about money, giving, and doing good for others.
Matthew 6.1-4, NLT
1 “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. 2 When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3 But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
Jesus starts out this teaching with “Watch out!” Or, “Beware!” Which is a strong way to start! He wants to get the attention of His disciples and call attention to the difference between the way the world does things and the way things work in the Kingdom of Heaven.
In the world, when people do good things, they want public praise. They need the pat on the back. They want someone to blow the trumpets and throw a parade. But in the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus says, it’s not like that. Jesus says, when you give to someone in need, do it quietly. Do it privately. In fact, if the person you want to bless can get whatever it is you want to give and never even know it came from you, even better!
Why?
Because God sees that and God rewards that. How does God reward that? He sees what you do in secret, and it honors Him. As you give to take care of others, God takes care of you. Because that kind of giving, that kind of sharing, that kind of taking care of one another, that honors God. And that kind of giving isn’t motivated by the need for attention, praise, or reward. That kind of giving… what motivates that kind of giving and sharing? Only one thing. Love.
That kind of giving is motivated by the love command, Jesus’ call on our lives to love God and love one another. To love each other the same way Christ has loved us. And when we do that, it pleases God.
Not long after Jesus says this, He picks up the topic again in v19. Listen to what He says next…
Where Your Treasure Is
Matthew 6.19-34
19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
At the end of the day, we can pile up tons of money and have houses, cars, clothes, and all the things of this world, BUT we know that we can’t take any of it with us. It doesn’t mean we are not wise financial stewards; we are. You know what’s really wise? Making sure we steward what God has given us well.
We want to steward what God has given us in such a way that we provide for our family. Yes! And also care for those in need. And, build up His kingdom.
Once we know that material goods will only collect rust and dust, we can discover a new way to live and a new way to GIVE. When we put our trust in God with open hands and open hearts, we are able to take hold of a treasure of ultimate worth.
Jesus goes on to say…
Generous Eyes & Divided Hearts
22 “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. 23 But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!
When we think about eyes, we tend to think about our eyes letting light in. But in the ancient world, they thought of eyes as shining light out. So Jesus says, “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body.”
Healthy eyes can shine bright so you can see clearly what is right and true and good. But if your eyes were to become unhealthy, sick, diseased, or corrupt in any way, then you would not be able to see what is right and true and good. In this context, Jesus is calling us to have generous eyes. To be able to see clearly that everything we have is a gift from God. To be able to see clearly opportunities to help, share, and serve those around us in love.
He makes this point clear when He says…
Trusting God Over Money
24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
This is not a call to poverty or to hate money or to sell everything we have and give it all away. Nor is it the call heard from the prosperity Gospel. It is a call to all out discipleship. To trust God and God alone.
It is a call to love God above all other things and to trust Him with everything we have. To trust Him to care for us and take care of us.
Freedom from Worry
25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
Not too long ago, I was traveling and visited a church I had never been to before. They got to the point in their worship when it was time to give. Like us, they give online, and they also pass the plates for the offering. But the one who was giving instructions about how to give and why we give said something I had never heard in church before.
He said, “And by the way, if there is anyone in the room who is in need today, maybe you need money for lunch or money for rent, when the trays are passed, if you need to take some money out to help you out, please take out what you need.”
It was one of the ways that the church had decided to care for those in their community who were coming in to worship but who were coming in with real, physical, tangible needs.
Which is an important reminder that when we give, we are helping people who need help. This is one of the ways we give to those in need. Yes, your contributions are used in a lot of ways to meet the needs of this church and do the work of the Kingdom. But when we give, we demonstrate that we are not worried. The same God who cares for the birds of the air and the lilies of the fields takes care of us.
So Jesus says…
Seek First the Kingdom
31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
What Are You Seeking
Whose Kingdom are you seeking? In whom have you put your trust?
In the days of Jesus, the practice of giving alms, giving money to those in need, was called Tzedakah (צְדָקָה). It’s a Hebrew word that means charity, but it’s not the kind of giving that we typically think about when we think about charity, because it wasn’t optional giving. Tzedakah was a moral obligation to do what was right by caring for those in need. It was about justice and righteousness. And it required trust.
The community felt a moral obligation to give and care for those in need, and they did so because they trusted in God to take care of their needs.
God Uses People to Answer Prayers
Fast forward to the third century, there was a Christian thinker and theologian by the name of Origen who wrote a treatise called “On Prayer.” Let me read you something he wrote:
“Imagine that a physician who has his mind set on righteousness comes to a sick man praying for health. And suppose that he knows how the patient may be healed of the disease about which he is praying. It is obvious that he will be moved to heal the man praying, perhaps supposing not in vain that this very thing is God’s intention and that God has heard the prayer of the man praying for deliverance from his disease. Or imagine that a man who has more than he needs for life and is generous hears the prayer of a poor man who is making intercession to God for his needs. It is obvious that he will fulfill the requests of the poor man’s prayer, and will become a minister of the Father’s will. For God at the time of prayer brings the one who is able to supply the needs and is unable because of his right use of free will to ignore the man who needs such things as these, and puts him in the same place as the one praying. Therefore, we must not suppose that when things like this happen, they happen as though by chance. The One who numbers all the hairs of the saints’ heads (cf. Mt. 10:30; Lk. 12:7) brings together in harmony at the time of prayer the one who will be His minister by hearing the request for a good deed from the other and the one who has made the request faithfully.” – Origen, On Prayer
This is one of the reasons I love the church. This same spirit of love and generosity is present in God’s church. It is a fruit of the Spirit that I see all the time in the church. I’m sure we haven’t done this perfectly, but I am also sure this happens on a regular basis. Whenever you become aware of a need, whether it is in this community or in the body of Christ, you always work to find a way to meet that need.
That’s what Jesus is calling His disciples to do here. He’s calling us to love Him and love each other. To seek His Kingdom and trust Him for everything we need.
Love God above all things and trust Him with absolutely everything.
A Call to Live Generously
I want to call you to do that today. Joy and happiness aren’t found in what you get, but in what you give. We are blessed to be a blessing. The Source of the water is the RIVER, not the well. Everything we have, we have received from God. He is the Giver of every good and perfect gift! (James 1:17).
What does it look like to live this way?
Can I get really practical for just a moment?
We demonstrate our love for God and our trust in Him when we:
1. Give regularly, faithfully, and joyfully a percentage of our income.
2. Bless others when we see the need arise, and we know we can help in some way.
3. Use your gifts, your time, and talent to build up God’s church and build His Kingdom.
This is how we…
Love God above all things and trust Him with absolutely everything.
A Different Kind of People
We live in a world that is consumed with consuming. Let’s be clear, that kind of greed and selfishness and self-centeredness is not of God. It is downright sinful. By the grace of God, we are called to live differently. Because of what God gave us through Jesus Christ at the cross some 2000 years ago, we can live differently. We can live generously. Because we know the Source of the River is not us, it’s God. It’s all His, it all belongs to Him.
So what if we were different? What if we were committed to loving God and loving others with all we have and all we are so that more and more people could come to see, experience, and know the great love of God through us?
This is my prayer for us. That we, saved by the grace of God, forgiven of our sin and set free to love and serve those around us in life, filled with the Holy Spirit of God, could truly love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and love our neighbors as ourselves.
Want more from this Series… Click here.
