Generous, Day 20 - Giving Your All

A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.  You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’”  “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.  When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy.  Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”  Luke 18:18-24
As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”  Luke 21:1-4

For some of us, how we handle our money will become the story of our lives.

He had a question to ask.  It’s plagued him for days as he thought about what the Master might say, but in his heart he was ready for the response.  Walking briskly as he sees a break in the action, the rich young religious leader approaches Jesus and blurts out ““Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  His boldness startles the crowd, but not Jesus.  He had come to expect such things from those seeking the answers to life’s questions.  But this was a serious question…eternal life was in the balance.  And yet Jesus without much fanfare simply replied, “Obey the commandments”.  The disciples were stunned.  After all, that was not the answer they expected.  Wasn’t it Jesus who told them that in order to get to heaven, their righteousness had to surpass that of the Pharisees (Mt. 5:20)?  Who could do that?  And yet as the young man insisted that Jesus list off “Which ones?”, He insisted that he has indeed done so.  

This response made the disciples indignant.  What nerve.  What arrogance. They couldn’t wait to see how Jesus would respond.  But Jesus did not judge the young man.  He looked at him and loved him (Mk. 10:21).  Instead of judging him, he would let the young man’s actions be his judge.  “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

At this the hopes of this young man were dashed.  It was an answer he did not expect.  More prayers, more trips to the temple, more good deeds…he could handle all these.  But Jesus had hit his soft spot.  He had hit a nerve that drove him to his knees.  If Jesus had challenged him in any other area, he would have willingly followed Jesus.  But Jesus knew the one thing that rivaled God in this young man’s life.  Money was his god and he could not part with this counterfeit god for the one true God.   As the young man walked away, he thought he had kept the one thing that he needed.  Instead he lost the one thing that mattered.  
(Mt. 10:37-39)

Contrast that with the elderly woman who approached temple at a very slow pace.  The pain of her frail body is only matched by the painful fear of her heart.  She is about give God everything.  It wasn’t much to anyone else, but it was all she had.  We don’t know her story, but by Jesus’ reaction we can speculate that her husband had died and her children were gone.  She had no family to speak of and, in her old age, society had forgotten her.  Little did she know that as her two copper coins slipped from her hands, she had caught the eye and won the heart of the One who had all the resources of the world at His disposal.

As these two very different people walked away from Jesus, which one do you think had the more certain future?  

Extravagant trust catches the eye of our Heavenly Father.  The most fabled stories in the Bible are those of great trust in God with our finances.  The widows’ oil (2 Kings 4), the woman with alabaster jar of perfume (Mk. 14:1-9), the good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-37), the prodigal son (Lk. 15:11-24) , the boy with five loaves and two fish (Jn. 6:9), the Pentecost church (Acts 2:42-47), Barnabas (Acts 4:32-37) and the Macedonian church (2 Cor. 8-9).   All gave generously and sacrificially to see the work of God advance.  Extravagant trust results from extravagant love and results in extravagant giving.

When David was given the opportunity to select a place to build a temple for God, the owner, Araunah, offered to give David the site for free.  David’s response was “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” (2 Sam. 24:24)  He knew that honoring God and sacrifice were connected.

Jim Elliot, missionary martyr to South America, once was quoted, “He is no fool who should choose to lose the things he cannot keep to gain what he can never lose.”  The young man did not understand this, but the old woman did.  What is your story?

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1

Generosity Challenge (Day 20)– Go to Helping Hands and sponsor a child for $5 a month through Project Impact (www.helpinghandsinafrica.org). If you already do so, add another one!  Challenge two friends to do the same.

Sun Valley Church, Used by Permission