Counter-cultural generosity: one Christian’s story of contentment and joy in God

At Stewardship, it’s a real joy to support the self-sacrificial generosity of Christian donors and the service of our church and charity partners.

The stories we hear remind us that generosity is never just about money, but about faith, obedience and joy in God. In this reflection, a generous Christian shares how lessons from work, home ownership and family life shaped a journey of generosity rooted in gratitude and trust in God.

Conventional wisdom: a shaky foundation

I left school aged 16 at my father’s insistence and to the horror of my teachers. As a trainee accountant, I earned £7 a week (this was 1963!).

"Shortly after beginning work, I was sitting in church waiting for the service to begin when I had an overwhelming sense that everything I had and did came as an undeserved gift from God. This included my job, as well as the ability and health to do it. I resolved then to give back to God a tenth of my income. ”

I bought my first house in 1973. Although I was single at the time, it was a spacious, four-bedroomed detached house in a delightful location with a double row of Lawson Cypress trees running down the side. I was following the conventional wisdom that by buying the biggest house I could afford, I would maximise my potential gains when selling.

But very soon a serious subsidence problem appeared in the house. Building work to underpin the house was required, at a cost of 40% of the purchase price. When my insurance company repudiated liability, I faced financial ruin.

Around this time, a Bible reading at church leapt out at me:

‘When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity,
You make his beauty melt away like a moth.’
Psalm 39:11 (NKJV)

I knew this was God speaking to me. My 'beauty' melting away were the Lawson Cypress trees, which now had to be felled because they had caused the subsidence.

Trembling, I asked God to show me what my 'iniquity' was.  I don’t claim that every hardship is God’s rebuke, but He made it very clear to me that it is profoundly wrong to simply follow conventional wisdom – in my case, buying the biggest house I could afford. As a Christian, one should always seek to do God’s will as revealed in the Bible and through prayer. This includes our use of money.

Live simply, celebrate well

The Bible makes it clear that everything we have belongs to God, including our money, time and abilities: ‘You are not your own; you were bought at a price.’ (1 Cor 6:19-20)

My wife and I agreed to work on the principle that, for us, giving a 10% tithe would be the minimum  and that any surplus income would be given away. We decided to carefully control our expenditure to maximise our giving and on the principle of a simple lifestyle with occasional celebration.

Every Christian’s circumstances are different, so we all need to be aware of our biggest risk of self-indulgent spending that reflects the world’s culture and takes us away from Christian simplicity.

As an example, for us as retired people our biggest expenditure challenge is to decide how much to spend on holidays. The world’s ‘conventional wisdom’ is to get pleasure through things and experiences. How do we avoid simply behaving like the world in spending a lot of money on holidays, leaving us with far less to give away?

We’ve come to realise that God’s blessing on a holiday is what matters, not exotic destinations. If we maintain a biblical discipline with regular weekly rest, do we really need lots of expensive holidays anyway?  And so many of the best things in life are free, such as enjoying God’s rich creation.

Generosity brings great joy now

I believe that we will never lose out if we forgo a pleasurable experience in this life for the sake of giving money away, especially to other Christians in need .

For the believer, holiness is the way to real joy now and generous living is a key part of that. Through all seasons of life and whatever form they take, acts of generosity bring real joy as we are caught up in God’s purposes, see the effect on other people’s lives and by pleasing God.

After all, ‘…the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’’ Acts 20:35.

What we spend on ourselves we lose;
What we keep will be left to others;
What we give away, will be forever ours.
-  Anon.

Reflect

• What life events, people or theology have influenced your thinking about money and generosity?
• In what area of your financial stewardship are you most at risk of applying only ‘conventional wisdom’? Spend a time of prayer asking for God’s wisdom and write a list of practical steps to talk through with family or friends.
• When have you experienced real joy through sacrificial giving – whether monetary, a possession or time?