What Causes Generosity to Fail?

I recently observed a confrontation between two adults over a parking space at a medical complex. Both drivers had been waiting for the occupant to vacate the space. The one who deserved the space took possession, but the other person became angry and threatened violence with insulting words and gestures.

The issue ceased to be needing a parking place but transformed into defending one’s personal rights and being threatened by another person’s outrage. As the issue became distorted in this emotional environment, the ability to think rationally evaporated, which opened the door for displaced aggression.

I wonder what the outcome would have been if the one who was in the right had generously given the space to the other person. Remember these words of generosity? “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only son and whoever believes in him will not perish but will have eternal life.” God’s blessings and personal satisfaction come from being generous.

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This is how we know what love is: Christ gave his life for us. We too, then, ought to give our lives for others! If we are rich and see others in need, yet close our hearts against them, how can we claim that we love God? My children, our love should not be just in words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.

~1 John 3:16-18 Good News Bible

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From Jealousy to Generosity

Even the noblest person is subject to jealousy when circumstances become threatening. To be generous and noble toward someone who is the object of jealousy requires sincere acts of generosity to diminish its power. Jealousy is shameful because its objective is another's misery, which violates God’s law to love one another.

          The motivation for overcoming jealousy and envy is to avoid thoughts and acts of malice. Malice is a state of mind that seeks pain, suffering and injury to others. These behaviors result in guilt, and guilt demands pardon and forgiveness. 

          To be liberated from jealousy and envy requires a process of being made new spiritually in one's mind. Only as you permit your mind to be transformed by the saving power of Christ Jesus can you experience being made new. The Apostle Paul instructed us to be imitators of Christ Jesus, meaning to give ourselves to others as Jesus gave himself up for us. 

Not Succeeding When Competing

The purpose of jealousy is to hold on desperately to what might be lost. Jealousy fears being overshadowed by a competitor and seen as insignificant. Even the slightest hint of jealousy indicates that negative perceptions of oneself have begun to set off a reactive chain of behaviors that will prove unproductive.   

  

          A young woman told how her sister and brother-in-law bought the most expensive home in her neighborhood. While one part of her brain was sincerely glad such good fortune had come to her sister, another part was envious, jealous and angry. These feelings of jealousy resurrected a competitiveness that had originated in childhood.  

          It's critical that you find godly ways to express wholesome and sincere generosity toward the one of whom you feel jealous. You can be generous by expressing love and affection as well as acts of goodness which demonstrate nobleness of character. As you allow the Holy Spirit to work and use these gifts in you, jealousy will eventually diminish.

Hurtful Choices

What kind of person would give up his or her inheritance for a quick meal? Hunger is an extremely strong drive, one of our strongest. Late one Friday afternoon when I was in the Air Force I recall walking into the mess hall starved, ready to gobble down anything on the menu, even if were something I hated.

  

Genesis 25:30 tells us Esau came in from a hunt absolutely famished. In that state he traded his birthright to Jacob for a quick meal, which was a great deal for Jacob. He could have given the food to Esau. This was his brother, but Jacob was not generous and Esau was willing to sell cheap.

 

What could these brothers have been thinking and feeling later that evening? Jacob could have used his creativity to be generous, but he used it for selfish gain. This was his chance to be loving and kind, but he chose to build a bridge to hate and alienation. While it’s hard to wait for God’s timing and purpose, it’s the right thing to do. 

Keeping Faith Alive

The biblical account of Jacob and Esau reflects our personality and behaviors. Esau believed in taking one day at a time while his brother Jacob was a man going somewhere with a definite attitude and purpose. He wanted power, position and control, so he persuaded a very hungry Esau to trade his birthright for a bowl of stew.

Most people will give food to someone genuinely hungry, but not Jacob. Evidently his value system did not intend for generosity to play a significant role in his life nor a belief that God would provide for his needs. His attitude was if he didn’t do things, they wouldn’t get done. Yet when we trust God to meet our needs, we feel secure.

When we’re bombarded by those eager to take from us all they can get, we're tempted to shut down generosity. Faith in Christ Jesus inspires giving to those in sincere need. James 2:17 warns that faith without good deeds is dead. Faith and generosity build a bridge to mutuality, giving to each other.

Re-creating Job Satisfaction - Part 1

If you were honest, how would you gauge your attitude toward the work that you do each day? What has influenced you in forming this attitude? A large percentage of the work force consider changing employment to find more fulfillment and job satisfaction. Do you think work is one of the most important dimensions of life, but would rather not be doing it?

The uncertainty of work and the changing attitudes and values placed on work create anxiety and stress for all concerned. What helps determine the importance of work and whether it's meaningful is decided by the influence you believe it has on others and if you believe you're making a positive contribution to the lives of others.

God put in everyone's heart a desire to be creative and to feel blessed in doing so. When you share your wisdom and knowledge, it actually reduces stress and anxiety. Proverbs 29:9 is an encouragement. "A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares what he has with others." Will you let this be seen in your attitude and actions?

Securing Contentment Through Generosity - Part 3

Most individuals are innately a bit self-centered. While it's normal to take care of yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually, most people retain a healthy concern for others. God generously gives us a measure of love and wisdom, which become the hallmark for making life joyful and peaceful. The way in which these attributes get expressed depends on our individual choices.

In the parable of the sower, seeds fall on four different types of soil. These soils represent a person's availability to receive the message from God's word. How much joy and peace we experience depends on the depth God's word is allowed to penetrate our heart and soul. Seeds fail to produce when the soil is shallow or when it's polluted and stifles the plants.

The seeds God sows in you are meant to produce love for others and wisdom for living. This takes place when we become vulnerable to God's purpose and plan for our days upon the earth. Let love and wisdom be the soil that covers your skills and abilities so these will generate the bountiful harvest to which Jesus refers in his parable.  

Securing Contentment Through Generosity - Part 2

A young man in his mid-thirties left an extremely lucrative and successful business to take a position in another company that appeared more challenging. He had made enough money to give him a cushion for several months. Two years after leaving his former employment, he's back in town looking for something else. He is still looking for contentment.

By mid-life, most everyone begins to realize some dreams are not going to become reality. It may be that some people are so inflexible that dreams wither and die from lack of hope or like plants with little or no roots. In Jesus' parable of the four soils a farmer sowed his seeds in his field. Some seeds fell among thorns, which choked the tender young plants.

We must continually evaluate what we want to achieve with the gifts and talents God has entrusted to us. Failure to share them will suffocate you like thorns that choke plants. Listen to Proverbs 11:25. "A generous man prospers; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." As you share with others, you discover God's purpose for your life.  

Securing Contentment Through Generosity - Part 1

I'm reminded that we spend our young adulthood learning the skills of a trade or profession. Then we learn how to apply these skills. In the mid-life years some people stop learning by getting stuck in stagnation, followed by death of enthusiasm for their work.

Listen to words from Jesus' parable of the four soils. A farmer went out to sow his seeds, some fell on rocky places where it did not have much soil. Plants sprang up quickly for the soil was shallow, but when the sun came up the plants withered because they had no roots.

God intended for all people to work as a means of creating a productive life. Meaning and purpose can be experienced when work is viewed as God's gift to us. Failure to do so may result in stagnation and self-absorption. You can avoid these negatives by sharing with others what you've learned at work, in the community, and in the world. This is the pathway for becoming unhooked from self-absorption. We are nurtured and refreshed by the power and strength that comes only from the Lord Jesus Christ.  

Productivity vs. Boredom: Sowing and Reaping - Part 2

When people hit mid-life, that period of life say from thirty-five to fifty, daily routines tend to dominate one's waking hours. Perhaps some relief comes by going to church, seeing friends there, and engaging in Bible study and worship with these friends. Even these gratifying choices may lose their luster and be relegated to just another routine.

I agree that marriage, parenting, and work require routines, but God created us for change. He intends for us to push out the boundaries of our knowledge as well as our wisdom. When you cease to test these boundaries, you're in danger of being vulnerable to stagnation or self-absorption, which is indicative of potential isolation and loneliness.

Asking God for insight on how to modify your routines is asking for change. Contributing to the next generation's wisdom for living in an insecure world can be your motive. Proverbs 11:24 offers hope and a warning: "One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds and comes to poverty." Choosing to be a blessing to others pleases God.  

Productivity vs. Boredom: Sowing and Reaping - Part 1

Young children are capable of demonstrating personal power. I know you've observed children compete over significant issues like who's going to ride in the front seat. Personal power issues persist throughout life in one form or another. All too often, personal power is used to control others for the purpose of self-gain or self-indulgence.

Self-indulgence leads to self-absorption and greed and eventually trying to control others. A truth worthy of accepting is that human beings were not designed to be controlled. Those who try are usually met with passive or aggressive resistance. God in his mercy, kindness, and grace does not choose to control us, but permits us to chose how we live our lives.

We can use our personal power to give blessings to others. St. Paul told the Corinthians, "Remember, whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly. Whoever sows generously will reap generously." Don't be hesitant to give what you learned to those coming up behind you, even if it requires sacrifice. God will richly bless you.  

Treasure Hunting - Part 3

The journey toward mid-life is often approached with resistance or even denial. Someone observed that as a generation grows older an important issue all must face is what to do with the wisdom and knowledge gained during the past decades of adult life. How you deal with this issue speaks loud and clear in defining the kind of person you are in particular.

All your life you may have been generous with what you possess as a result of the gifts and talents God gave you. It includes the practical, emotional, and intellectual skills you used to subdue the challenges God placed before you. As you come to this stage of life, the challenge is to pass on to the next generation what was given to you.

Productive change includes standing up for the godly influence you can be on those around you. It's giving something that money can't buy and receiving the promise of 2 Corinthians 9:8: "And God is able to make all grace abound in you, so that in all things, at all times you will abound in every good work." May God's grace always be evident in you.