Help Yourself to Everything

Now the entire group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common. Acts 4:32

Giving money away has always been easy for me. Now before you get upset at the stridency of this statement, let me quickly assure you that I didn’t pick this up on my own. I learned it from my dad, who learned it from his dad, who probably learned it from his dad. Dads have a profound impact on their children’s attitudes toward giving.

For instance, as incredible as this sounds, my grandfather never locked the doors of his home. “If someone comes to our house and they are in need, they’re welcome to anything we have here,” he told me. This attitude about generosity was passed in full measure to his son, my dad, who passed it on to us. Giving has been a tradition in our family.

As a child, I never saw my dad handle an offering plate without putting something in it. Even when we were on vacation and visiting an unfamiliar church, my dad never let an opportunity for generosity pass him by. No doubt, he also wanted his children to witness the satisfaction of giving. Mission accomplished, Dad. Thank you.

The best part of this is that I have learned there is joy in the simple act of giving. In other words, the joy isn’t primarily in knowing where your gift is going because stewardship is its own reward. Another way of saying this might be that a man is measured not by how much he has but by how much he gives away. And there’s pure joy in the act of being generous.

The members of the early church knew about this. They “held everything in com- mon . . . [so] there was not a needy person among them” (vv. 32, 34). Those who had been blessed with possessions turned their attention away from their own things and lavished their blessings on others.

But if you get a reputation for being generous, might there be some who try to take advantage of your generosity? Could there be less-than-honest fundraisers who seize an opportunity to jump mercilessly on your checkbook? Are some of the people who appear on your doorstep actually thieves? Yes, absolutely, to all of the above. But guess whose problem this is? Not yours.

Ted Sherman¹ took me out to lunch in 1971. My wife and I were in career youth ministry, depending on the kindness of God’s faithful servants to survive. Before lunch had even arrived, Ted told me he was going to invest in our ministry. Every month. And before I even had a chance to say, “Thank you,” Ted said something I’ll never forget.

“I have a teenage son, and I hope he gets involved in your work,” Ted said, “but I want you to know that my gift is not a bribe. If my kid decides not to come to your meetings, that’s OK. I’ll still give.” He paused for a moment and then continued, “And by the way, please, never feel obligated to thank me for my giving. This money doesn’t belong to me in the first place. The joy of sharing is good enough for me.”

Although I never asked Ted Sherman about his dad, I’ll bet he was a generous man, too. Ted learned this from someone, and dads can be the best teachers on giving.

Just thinking out loud, Will your children be generous? Why or why not?

¹ Not his real name.