Getting—I Mean Giving—Season
It’s Christmas time, and we’ve officially entered the season of giving. Unfortunately, this time of year can also become a season of greed and wanting more if we don’t guard our hearts—even if we’re the parents doing most of the shopping and giving. No matter how tremendous the spread of gifts has been on any Christmas morning, most of us have been guilty of asking, “Is that all?” at least once in our childhood. And while it’s easy to admit we did this as kids, it’s still a trap we can fall into as adults.
Matt and I got married young, and in our early days we lived on love and necessities only—paycheck to paycheck! As much as I look back in amazement at how God always provided for our every need, I’ve also found that the more we’ve gotten over time, the more I have to guard my heart from discontentment, not less. The more I have, the more I feel like I “need” to add to it—and the pit is truly bottomless. Maybe you can relate. How do we escape this trap?
Early in the book of Luke, we find John the Baptist passionately preparing the way of the Lord’s coming and judgment, warning people to repent:
“Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.” —Luke 3:9 NLT
The people wanted to know what to do to produce good fruit and escape God’s judgment, and John’s answer is significant:
“The crowds asked, ‘What should we do?’ John replied, ‘If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.’ Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ He replied, ‘Collect no more taxes than the government requires.’ ‘What should we do?’ asked some soldiers. John replied, ‘Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.’”—Luke 3:10–14 NLT
To each group of people, John’s reply had to do with money. While it seems strangely unattached, money has a significant tie to the posture of our hearts and the good or bad fruit we produce. How? Let’s explore this together!
First, Jesus tells us that where our treasure is—what we choose to do with our money—is where our heart will be also. Over time, I’ve realized this means not only does my money follow the direction of my heart, but my heart follows the direction of my finances. Some of the happiest moments I’ve ever felt have been right after I was generous, and the most discontent moments have been right after finally getting that one thing on my list… only to discover it didn’t make me happy at all.
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”—Matthew 6:19-21 NLT
Secondly, Paul warns Timothy that the love of money (not money itself) is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). This further emphasizes that what we do with our money has the potential to shape—or corrupt—our hearts.
Another powerful example of generosity tied to good fruit is the story of the poor widow in Mark 12. Though she gave only two small coins, Jesus declared her gift greater than anyone else’s because she gave all she had (Mark 12:41–43). From this we learn that the significance of the gift comes from what it meant to the giver, not how much or how little we have to bring.
The only time God challenges us to test Him is in the area of money—specifically the tithe, giving God the first 10% of our income. He promises tremendous blessing when we obey Him in this way. It’s also striking how seriously He takes this, as the entire nation of Israel was under a curse for withholding their tithe:
“Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me!
‘But you ask, “What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?”’
You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me.
You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me.
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple.
If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you.
I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in!
Try it! Put me to the test!”
—Malachi 3:8–10 NLT
Financial stewardship begins with what we give to God, but it doesn’t end there. It also includes handling the rest of our finances with honesty and integrity. Jesus not only re-emphasizes the importance of tithing in the New Testament, but tells us to give the government what is theirs, too. (Matthew 22:17-21)
Returning to John’s words in Luke 3, we can summarize his plan of action in three words:
Generosity. Honesty. Contentment.
If you were standing in the crowd that day, which one would resonate most with you?
While the world continues to chase the endless cycle of wanting more, may we live lives of gratitude and generosity that keep our hearts pointed toward the Father, producing every kind of good fruit.
