A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous. (ESV)

“Money talks.”

“Money makes the world go around.”

“Money doesn’t grow on trees.”

“Money is the root of all evil.”

“You can’t take it with you.”

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I’m willing to bet you’ve heard at least one or two of these cliches about money. They’re pretty well known and often quoted, but how many cliches are there about generosity? Ah, now that’s a different story. Talking about money is easy because we all need money to live day-to-day, but generosity… Well, generosity challenges our security because it often affects our money.  

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What exactly does it mean to be generous? One definition is, “showing a readiness to give more of something, as money or time, than is strictly necessary or expected.” It’s the person that goes above and beyond with their resources for the good of others.  

Proverbs 13:22 speaks of the generous man: “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.” Leaving an inheritance for generations beyond just his children, the generous man gives more than what is expected.  

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Sometimes I feel like this is a rich versus poor discussion, and to be truly “godly” we are expected to live lives of poverty. Or sometimes I think we look at wealthy people as being sinful. But the truth is, the wealth or poverty of a person does not indicate the level of their generosity or stinginess.  

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I have seen a woman who was living in a one-bedroom apartment with three children and nothing for Christmas for them, dig in a jar and pull out a wad of money to give to the church. She had been saving it for the next time she could get to church (as she had no car), and she asked me to bring it in and give it. My friends, that’s generosity! She gave way more than expected, and she did it with a smile on her face.  

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I’ve also seen people who had an abundance of extra money in their budget hang on so tightly, they couldn’t even see past it to see those in need around them. These are good people who had simply focused on the wrong thing. They allowed their comfort and security to come from their bank accounts rather than from God. Wealth is not a bad thing. God loves us and wants good things for us, but money is something that can so quickly draw our attention away from God. As Matthew 6:21 says, “For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

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What would it look like to open our hands and trust God with our finances? What would it look like to live a little more generously? Maybe you drop some groceries off for a friend in need this week, maybe you trust God with regular giving to your church, or maybe he’s asking you to give to a stranger without expecting anything back. Whatever he calls you to today, may we approach it with open hands of generosity.

Heavenly Father, open our hands. Help us to live generously, not because we want to look good in peoples’ eyes, but because we trust you. Show us where we can take that first step of generosity. In the powerful and loving name of Jesus ~ AMEN!