Open Your Hands and Be Generous
“But it’s mine!” I said as I stormed off after my parents took away MY video game console. This statement and disgruntled strutting away happened when I was in elementary school. I don’t remember all the details of this incident but it was likely because I was not sharing or I lost my temper on one of the siblings yet again. As a child, when I received a gift from my parents, I assumed it was solely and unequivocally mine; however, my dad would always say everything in the house was owned by him and my mom and the kids were just “renting” it. Some of this went over my head at the time but the point he was getting at was stewardship. Since I did not steward the video game system or my time with siblings well, I received a rebuke (and rightfully deserved) consequence of my actions. My parents had every right to take claim to the video game console because they were trying to discipline and teach me valuable life lessons so I could thrive in the future.
We all have stories like this we could tell from our childhood (and maybe even adulthood) as we live in a culture who prides itself on the mantra, “It’s mine! Give me, give me, give me!” Consumerism, individualism, and materialism run rampant and deep within each and every one of us as products of growing up in a broken world but especially the United States of America. The empire we live in encourages hoarding, selfishness, and consuming for each person’s personal gain at any expense of the other.
YET, this is not the way of Jesus and the Kingdom of God. He says the following in the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 6:19-24:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Being a disciple of Jesus and everyday missionary means being obedient in all areas of life which includes God’s money and resources. That’s right, not YOUR assets but the LORD’S. The ways of the Kingdom acknowledge all we have is God’s. We are called to love the Lord our God and OPEN OUR HANDS with generous hearts. The Kingdom of God opposes the Empire and kingdoms of the world, including its ideologies and practices. Whereas our culture says, “work hard and long hours, rest when you’re dead, and treat yo’ self with all your hard-earned money...” God tells us in Scripture to “work from a place of rest, our work is good, be generous and sacrificial with all HE has blessed you with, and be a wise and joyful steward.
The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8:
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
This comes in one of the largest blocks of teaching on generosity in the New Testament. Paul exhorts believers in Corinth about sowing and reaping, which connects with many of Jesus’ parables about the Kingdom. There is a mysterious correlation between what we receive and what we give. Our posture must be one of OPEN HANDS. It is the #1 way to combat the temptations towards greed, envy, consumerism, and materialism. Give, Give, Give! We are called to give first, then save, then invest/get out of debt, then live on the rest.
I learned a long time ago and continue learning that nothing I have is truly mine but it all belongs to the Lord. So I OPEN MY HANDS and look for ways to give the talents, treasures, and time I’ve been given to bless others. The way of Jesus and generosity begins with admitting you are just a steward, it’s not yours, but the Lord’s...then just open your hands in faith and trust and give back.
Reflection Questions:
What’s preventing you from opening your hands?
Do you see yourself as a renter or an owner of the assets in your life?
How might Jesus be inviting and challenging you to be generous with your time, talents, and treasures today? This week? This month? This next year?