As we do each July in marking SMI’s anniversary (by God’s grace, 33 years now!), we’re shining a spotlight on generosity. After all, Austin Pryor founded Sound Mind Investing in 1990 to help Christian stewards “have more so that they can give more.”
In the article below, excerpted from the book Leverage, Kenneth Boa and Russ Crosson remind us that “although we cannot contribute anything to God since He has no needs, He offers us the dignity of participation in His purposes."
It was a late fall afternoon when the phone rang in my office. I (Russ) recognized the voice on the other end immediately. It was the son of a long-time client of mine who I knew had been in declining health.
“Dad has gone home to be with the Lord,” the son said. Although I knew it was coming, it was still difficult to accept. I sat down, composed myself, and offered my condolences to the family.
A few days later, my wife, Julie, and I traveled to the funeral in the small town where this gentleman had lived and worked for more than six decades. On the drive, we reminisced about the impact he had had on our growing family over the years. He and his wife were like second grandparents to our sons and always made us feel loved and welcomed whenever we were with them. We had mentally prepared for this day, but it still seemed surreal that he was actually gone from this earth. My wife and I had made this drive every year for the past 30 years, but this time it was different. I could not help but think that a day like this is in each of our futures.
We arrived about 20 minutes before the service was scheduled to begin and were surprised to realize there was no parking left. Fortunately, I saw the son, who escorted us to a special parking place.
As we were ushered into the church, I looked around and realized it was standing-room only. All the seats were filled, and there were several rows of people standing around the sides and back of the sanctuary. It seemed like the whole town was in attendance.
During the service, the son took the podium. As he made comments about his dad, he began asking for audience participation. He articulated all the ways his dad had exhibited generosity in this small town and asked those who had experienced it to stand. Before I knew it, everyone in the building was standing. As I looked around, I realized that is what I want my funeral to look like — people impacted because I leveraged my temporal wealth for something beyond myself. I want people to remember me for living a generous life and investing in others.
As Julie and I drove home that night, we reflected on what we had witnessed. For more than 35 years, we had watched this man and his family embody the concept of living generously and leveraging temporal wealth for eternal impact. He chose to open his hands and bless others with God’s financial blessings to him.
The visual of the people standing and giving their testimonies of his impact at the funeral was imprinted in our minds. He had left a mark on the people who came after him, and hundreds of them had filled the church to pay tribute and honor to him. People endure. Material things don’t. This truth was vivid in my mind as I reflected on what I had just experienced.
An invitation to participate in kingdom work
Generosity toward God’s people stems from a biblically correct understanding of the role of money in our lives. Jesus frequently used money to demonstrate spiritual truths in His parables because money so clearly illustrates the temporal versus the eternal (see Matthew 13:44-46; 25:14-30 as examples).
The currency of that which is passing away is measured by metrics of the visible, palpable, and quantifiable — metrics that are familiar and comfortable to us on this side of heaven. On the other hand, the currency of the kingdom of God is built on the only two things present in this earthly world that will endure: the Word of God and relationships. To see money as separate from this kingdom currency is to create a false dichotomy between the sacred and the secular.
When we live with Christ at the center of our lives, it follows that every aspect of our lives can be used for His glory. Wealth is no exception. Although it is a visible currency of this world, God calls us to leverage this temporal resource (like all our resources) for His kingdom, investing it in our relationships and in the spread of the gospel.
Make no mistake about it: the purpose of money is to provide for needs — for our own, yes, but especially for those of other people. Instead of storing up wealth for our own satisfaction, God calls us to share generously with others, investing in our relationships. This is not because He needs our wealth in order to bless others. Scripture is replete with the truth that the Lord of creation does not need our wealth (see Psalm 104), and that His purposes will not be thwarted by those who choose not to give what is His in the first place. But the Bible also teaches that although we cannot contribute anything to God since He has no needs, He offers us the dignity of participation in His purposes.
Biblical reasons for giving
God’s greatest desire is for us to give ourselves wholly and unreservedly to Him, and a palpable expression of that is how we leverage our possessions for His kingdom. Spirit-led generosity enables us to define ourselves more and more by who and whose we are and less and less by our earthly portfolio. The following list gives six reasons why we ought to accept God’s invitation to participate in His kingdom work of generous giving.
Giving is a tangible way to acknowledge the ultimate ownership and provision of the sovereign God in our lives (Deuteronomy 8:11-19; Psalm 24:1; 50:10-12; Haggai 2:8; 1 Corinthians 4:7; 2 Corinthians 9:8).
God does not need us to give — He already owns everything. However, He does invite us to participate in His kingdom work through giving. When we do so, we express our trust in His provision, acknowledging that all things come from His hand. Seeking to store up wealth for ourselves is fruitless; God gave it to us, and He can take it away (Job 1:21). He can also multiply it, blessing us abundantly as we generously give to others.
The example of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness demonstrates the faithfulness of God to provide for His people. God met their material needs for 40 years through the miracles of daily food (manna and quail), clothing that did not wear out, and physical fortitude (Deuteronomy 8:3-4). The same God who provided for the Israelites continues to exercise full authority over our material provisions today. As He did then, He calls us to trust in Him and avoid the arrogant autonomy of trusting in our own hand through the accumulation of wealth.
We show honor and obedience to God in our giving because God commands us to give (Proverbs 3:9-10; Matthew 6:19-21; 25:31-46; Luke 6:38; 12:33; 1 Timothy 6:17-19).
When we give generously, we put our faith into action through obedience, honoring God with the resources He has entrusted to us and becoming more theocentric (God-centered) instead of egocentric (self-centered).
The Gospels provide warnings against self-driven (versus kingdom-driven) wealth management:
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21).
Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys (Luke 12:33).
It is foolish to store up treasures on earth because our time here is fleeting and uncertain. By contrast, treasure in heaven is “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (1 Peter 1:4). When we value God, we will obey Him and honor Him with our financial resources, giving up earthly gain for our eternal inheritance in Christ — even at great material cost to ourselves.
Giving is a tangible way to worship and show gratitude to God (Matthew 6:21; Mark 14:3-9; Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 8:1-6).
Giving is a form of worship, which is the commitment and consecration of ourselves to God. Generous giving shows that we are not putting our hope in temporal goods but in God, giving thanks to Him for who He is and how He has cared for us. This type of worship was especially clear in the old covenant sacrificial system. Three times a year, the Israelites were required to go to the tabernacle or temple and bring the best of their produce/livestock to worship and show gratitude to God (see Deuteronomy 26).
Although we are no longer under the old covenant, our gratitude should be even stronger now that Christ has completed His work on the cross and given us the free gift of salvation in Him. We sacrifice our material wealth to Him and do good works to the praise of His glorious grace out of gratitude for the love He has lavished on us (Ephesians 1:3-10).
Giving breaks the power of money and helps us prioritize the issues of life (Proverbs 18:10-11; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 12:33-34; 16:11-13; 1 Timothy 6:9-10).
If making God central in our attitude toward our finances draws us closer to Him through obedience and worship, failing to center our lives on God makes us vulnerable to spiritual snares. First Timothy 6:9 makes this clear: “Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” Wealth has a downward pull; it is not neutral any more than sex and power are. It tempts us to find our security and identity in it.
Arrogance can lead to the deadly supposition that it was our hand, not God’s, that brought us financial security. Greed steadily inflates our answer to the question, “How much is enough?” while simultaneously diminishing our ability to live by faith. We then forget God’s calling to participate in His kingdom work through generous giving, looking instead to wealth to satisfy us. This results in a tragic irony, as we cannot be satiated if we fix our hope on worldly things and forget the ultimate source of our wealth. In truth, no earthbound good or felicity can satisfy the aspirations of the human heart. The freight of human aspiration is so great that only eternity can sustain it.
Charitable giving is done to meet the needs of others (Exodus 16:18; Leviticus 23:22; Deuteronomy 15:10-11; 2 Corinthians 9:12-14; Philippians 4:16; 1 John 3:17).
In both the Old and the New Testament, we read of God’s call to provide for the needs of others through generous giving. In the Old Testament, God commanded His people to leave the gleanings of the fields for the poor to gather. These gleanings might otherwise have increased the landowners’ profits by as much as 10%, so it can be seen as a sort of “passive tithe” — a method of giving generously by providing work and food for anyone in need instead of hoarding resources out of greed (Leviticus 23:22).
Although we do not have the same passive tithe as the Israelites, God still calls us to provide for those in need. When it comes to managing money, we are to follow Jesus’ precedent in exchanging our good for the good of others. In practice, the first step is often to share what we are given with our closest connections — our family members — in order to build a legacy of strong relationships and meet their needs. First Timothy 5:8 tells us, “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
And if we imagine our lives as concentric circles of influence, once we have provided for our families (the core), we can expand our giving by moving outward to subsequent rings. These outer circles include friends who are in need, members of our church, and other ministries to which the Spirit guides us.
We draw spiritual rewards from the act of giving (Matthew 6:20; 16:27; Luke 12:33; Romans 2:6-11; 1 Corinthians 3:8-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 4:17; Revelation 22:12).
Although salvation is by grace through faith in Christ, we still receive rewards for our faithfulness to His calling. We read in 1 Corinthians 3:11, “No one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ,” but we are still called to build on that foundation through our good works in the power of the Holy Spirit. The ideas of grace and reward may seem contradictory, but Scripture tells us that these good works and rewards are God’s gift to us in the first place (2 Corinthians 8:1; Ephesians 2:10). God graciously grants us the ability to respond to His call and rewards us when we accept His invitation to participate in His kingdom work.
As we consider the principle of receiving rewards in heaven, we need to be careful to avoid projecting the world’s values into heaven. There is not a one-to-one correspondence regarding what we give up on earth and what we gain in heaven. For example, if we give $50 here, we will not receive $50 up there, because earthly currency is different than heavenly currency. We will gain spiritual reward, increasing our capacity to know God and reflect His glory, as well as increasing our capacity for community.
It is also important to note that, although we will receive varying levels of reward in heaven (Matthew 25:14-30; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15), no one will be unhappy in heaven. Our joy will be complete in the presence of the glory of God, and our rewards serve to magnify not ourselves, but the glory of God (Revelation 4:10–11).By seeking daily a “heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12) and following the Spirit’s leading on the specifics of giving (when, how, how much, and where), we can boldly reflect the extravagant blessing and encouragement God has offered to us, time and time again, and to His other image-bearers.
Giving toward the Great Commission
One test to determine where the Spirit is leading us to give is to see if it lines up in some way with the Great Commission:
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).
This directive is surprisingly dynamic. The commands to go, to baptize, and to teach modify the main command: to make disciples. Becoming a disciple — a follower of Jesus whose life becomes increasingly conformed to His image — is God’s ultimate purpose for us in this soul-forming world. Once we have become disciples, we are to go and disciple others as well. Thus, disciple-making should drive our financial decisions.
When we think about discipleship entities, what usually comes to mind is the local church. This is a good place to give — in fact, Paul essentially commands us to do so:
Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:13-14).
Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches (Galatians 6:6).
For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages” (1 Timothy 5:18).
It is beneficial for us to provide financially for the needs of the local church because the church is the main place in which the Word of God is preached and Christians are discipled. At the same time, the local church should not serve as a mere storehouse for gifts from which it draws to sustain its infrastructural growth, but as a redistribution point. In other words, the church should not be so focused on material items that it neglects spiritual matters. It needs to be using the money it collects on behalf of those actively teaching or furthering the gospel — usually a pastor, staff member, or missionary.
We see this financial role of the church in the life of Paul. The Philippian church in particular was generous with its funds, choosing to give to him when it had the opportunity (Philippians 4:14-17). It is certainly good for individuals to give directly to missionaries and teachers. However, there are also advantages to the church as a whole giving to support missionaries. For one thing, a church’s commitment to give consistently provides more financial stability to missionaries. For another, giving to the church and as a church promotes unity among believers (see Philippians 2:2).
In addition to giving to missionaries, the church can also support various ministries by giving to those in need. Note that it is not the role of the church to support every kind of ministry or supply every kind of need — unlike in the times of the apostles, many governments do have various charities or programs available to meet needs. However, the church should still be actively involved in ministering to those with various physical needs, particularly Christians. Paul advocated for this when he ordered the collection for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem (see Romans 15:26). In supplying for these physical needs, the churches that donated to the collection were also ministering in a spiritual way, strengthening the unity of believers.
While giving to your local church is a good way to minister to others through your finances, you can and should make disciples by giving to other ministry entities and organizations, as well as directly to specific individuals. Prayerfully seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit when considering where to give.
Whether you are an individual, a church leader, or part of a congregation wanting to give financially, take time to evaluate the potential ministries and organizations you are seeking to support. It is critical to ask if they are actually pursuing, promoting, and fulfilling the Great Commission by going into the world and spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. These organizations can vary greatly in terms of the people to whom they minister. Some care for the poor, needy, or helpless (perhaps providing food, shelter, or clothing); others focus on prisoners or the oppressed; still others pave the way for evangelism, preaching, and discipleship (such as through church planting or training pastors).
When considering where to give, make sure you evaluate whether an organization is focusing only on physical needs or whether an organization addresses both physical and spiritual needs. It is far better to give to a ministry that has Christ at its center than one that focuses only on the material world.
Different legacies
There is an exquisite vacation destination north of Atlanta, Ga., called Barnsley Resort. My wife and I (Russ) have enjoyed some time there over the years. During one of our visits, I picked up a book that told the history of the resort and gardens. The story fascinated me. Godfrey Barnsley was one of the wealthiest men in the world in the early 1800s. He directed a shipping empire that sailed the world’s seas and transported 60% of the South’s cotton to his native England and to other markets. He was well respected all over the world.
Barnsley decided to build a luxurious and magnificent home for his wife, Julia. He purchased four thousand acres of land in the wilderness of northwest Georgia and created a vast estate and gardens. Since his wealth was so immense, he shipped in hundreds of rare trees and shrubs. He chose handcrafted windows with sterling silver latches, marble from Italy and France, and priceless furnishings from the four corners of the world. It was one of the most exquisite antebellum estates east of the Mississippi River.
Unfortunately, his wife died before the home was completed in 1848, but several generations of the family lived at the estate until 1942. However, by the 1980s, the home and grounds were vacant and falling into ruins. In 1988, the property was purchased by an investor who developed it into the upscale resort it is today. If you go to Barnsley Resort, all that remains of Godfrey Barnsley’s investment is a pile of rocks known as the “Manor House Ruins.”
When your time on earth is finished, which legacy would you prefer: a sanctuary full of people impacted by how you lived your life and utilized your money, or a mound of rocks? We must choose whether we are going to invest in the here and now (our temporal home) or in the there and future (our eternal home). Leveraging our resources according to what God says, such as by investing in people, will last; investing in buildings and temporal goods, such as Barnsley’s estate, will not.
The first-century apostles understood this choice. They did not invest in things of this world (we don’t go to work in the Peter Pavilion or the Pauline Plaza), but rather they invested in people by proclaiming the gospel. You and I enjoy great gain as a result of their focus on eternal things, and we are called to continue that purpose and leverage our wealth for the benefit of others to the glory of God.
