I wish I could say we were born generous. It would be such a nice, neat statement to make. I'd feel better about myself - and this post - if I just wrote it down and closed blog shop for today.
But it isn't true. We aren't born generous. We're born selfish.
Does that sound harsh?
Does it not even sound true?
How long before your child learns the world revolves around him/her and acts like it? How long before his/her first word is 'no' or - shockingly even - 'mine?'
We aren't born generous. We're born selfish and we need God to come do a work in our hearts in this area. Because generosity comes from Him. Selfishness, on the other hand, comes from the devil.
Yes. It's that evil. The devil.
He was selfish way back when he fell from heaven. The Bible book of
Isaiah tells us Satan said:
'I will be exalted. I will sit on a throne. I will be like God." I ... I ... I ... I ...
statements of selfishness.
We all fight the same selfishness battle on a daily basis.
You're driving down the road with a friend. You see a house - or a car - that you secretly envy. And someone in your car says:
'You know the guy who owns that is a Christian?'
"Really?! Pffft. He should sell that (house/car) and give the excess to people who really need it."
We seem to have a personal theology that any house bigger than our house - any car nicer than our car - should be sold and the excess given to help people.
We aren't born generous. We're born selfish.
We do that with a lot of things. That's selfishness - that's greed - that's envy - that's jealousy. Because if we cared about all those things the way we say we do, we'd sell our car or house and give the excess to the poor.
It's the age-old cover up. We aren't born generous. We're born selfish. We care about ourselves.
Oh, we have moments of brilliant unselfishness, but most of us don't live generously on a moment-to-moment basis.
This is our challenge as sacrificial, God-fearing, Christ-honoring followers of Jesus.
Be generous.
And be blessed.