There are two myths people often believe about generosity. They’re related, but not identical.
- Myth 1 is that only rich people can be generous.
- Myth 2 is that only rich people can be happy.
Whether you’re a Christian or not, if you live in the United States, you almost certainly feel the pull of those two myths. Deep down, you think it’s easier for people with more money to be more generous (that’s Myth 1). And you also daydream about having just a bit more money yourself, because if you had just a bit more, your life would finally start to come together (that’s Myth 2). In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul mentions a church that shatters both of those myths. The church in Macedonia, Paul tells the Corinthians, was both extremely poor and extremely generous. Here’s how Paul put it:
“We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints—and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.” – 2 Corinthians 8:1–5
The Macedonians were not just poor; Paul says they lived in “extreme poverty.” The word Paul uses for “extreme” means “as deep as the ocean.” In other words, the Macedonians weren’t just poor, they were po’ (they couldn't even afford the “o-r”). And yet, Paul says, they responded with a “wealth of generosity,” begging for the chance to give to the believers in Jerusalem. And what was the result? An “abundance of joy.” So here are the Macedonians, defiantly rejecting our two money myths. Without much wealth, they were incredibly generous (Take that, Myth 1!). And they did this, not out of obligation, but from their heart, leading to incredible joy along the way (Take that, Myth 2!). They were poor and generous and happy.
Do you believe that’s possible today?
Let me talk about my own experience with Myth 1 for a moment: Only rich people can be generous. For all the college students and young adults who have little to no money, let me give a little life insight from Uncle J.D.: It was easier for me to be generous back in college when I had no money than it is now. I know that sounds ironic, or just plain wrong, but I’m being 100% honest.
Life felt so much simpler back then. I mean, when I was in college, I could furnish my whole apartment with a futon someone had left in the hallway. It was my couch, my bed, and my dining room seating all in one. Then one day you get married, and your wife says, “We need more than this futon; we need a real couch.” She rules out of consideration anything you spot on the side of the road (the gall!), and you find yourself in IKEA spending more money than you ever thought possible on a couch. Then a few years later, she says, “We need to replace this couch, because it doesn’t really fit with the vibe we’re going for in this room.” You’re like, “Vibe ... what are you talking about?” The next thing you know, you’re taking out a second mortgage to buy a sectional at Pottery Barn.
I know I’m not the only one. Tell me if this sounds familiar: You have matching dishes in your house. But you don’t just have one set of dishes. You have “sets that go with the seasons.” Spring glasses show up sometime in February. Christmas plates make their way onto the table in November. Even holidays you never thought were that significant—St. Patrick’s Day, the Super Bowl, New Year’s Eve—somehow warrant at least a specialty bowl. Go ahead: Tell me I’m wrong.
Those are rather silly examples, but I’m sure you’ve felt what I’m talking about. As you get older, you get more responsibilities. And more responsibilities come with more bills. Trust me, I’ve seen this more times than I can count: If you don’t establish generous habits early, it becomes much harder to start them later.
My wife Veronica and I made a decision early on in our marriage (in the futon days) to give sacrificially, never less than 10 percent. That was when we had almost no marginal money, and I’ll be honest, it was hard. Then we made a decision that as God increased our income, we’d increase the size of our sacrifice, which meant increasing not only the amount we gave, but the percentage of our budget that amount represented, trying to move upward from 10 percent year by year. Believe it or not, that’s been an even harder decision.
Studies among Christians show that Christians making less than $45K are twice as likely to tithe as those who make more than 150K. Read that again—because I’ll bet you don’t believe it. Being rich in generosity has nearly nothing to do with how much money you have. The Macedonian churches were in extreme poverty, and yet they overflowed with a wealth of generosity. Tim Mackie writes, “Some people with very limited resources are still open-handed and generous with what they have. Paul says such people are rich. Some people have lots of money but have so much anxiety about their stuff or their security that they’re imprisoned by their stuff. Paul says they are poor.”
Which leads us to Myth 2: Only rich people can be happy. Again, Paul points to these Christians in Macedonia who are in extreme poverty and yet are really happy because of their generosity. So many studies done in our day show this is true, too! A recent one, for example, showed that “high generosity” people were 74 percent satisfied with life over the past year, and nearly three times as likely to say they were “very happy” every day. Another study done by the Harvard Business Review said that significant financial generosity is one of the top six predictors of life satisfaction.
Is that surprising to you? It shouldn’t be. Jesus said it plainly in Acts 20:35: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” “Blessed” here literally means happier! It is happier to give than to receive. Why does every study ever done on this—secular or Christian—show that the happiest people in the world are generous people? It’s because you’re made in the image of God, and God is a generous God. When you act in his image, you experience the joy of being like him.
Even though it’s not Christmastime, I think the best illustration of this comes from my favorite Christmas movie: “The Grinch That Stole Christmas.” The Grinch is someone who is fabulously rich but also deeply unhappy. To explain this strange creature, Dr. Seuss says: “It could be his head wasn’t screwed on just right. It could be, perhaps, his shoes were too tight. But I think that the most likely reason of all may have been that his heart was two sizes too small.” That’ll preach.
You think the reason you’re unhappy is that you need new shoes or a new house or a new job, but what you really need is an enlarged heart: a God-like heart. God uses generosity to produce that in you. Generosity is not something God wants from you; it’s something he wants for you—because generosity enlarges your capacity for joy.
Pastor J.D. completed his Ph.D. in Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Chick-fil-A, serves as a Council member for The Gospel Coalition, and recently served as the 62nd president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Pastor J.D. and his wife Veronica are raising four awesome kids.
"Editor's Note: Pastor JD Greear's "Ask the Pastor" column regularly appears at Christianity.com, providing biblical, relatable, and reliable answers to your everyday questions about faith and life. Email him your questions at [email protected]."
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