It’s been awhile since my self-proclaimed “Comeback” ala LL Cool J. As you can see, I was very successful 
To my credit, I have had a few things brewing in my heart and need to confess. God’s been working on me and my family in terms of generosity. It becomes very easy to make a statement that we are generous people.
Defined it is this:
gen·er·os·i·ty
The defined opposite is this:
—Antonyms
1. stinginess. 2. pettiness.
I think true generosity requires “off the top” giving of yourself, time, efforts, finances, etc. Giving my leftovers is tantamount to offering scraps from my table only after I have had my fill. Read the antonyms. That sounds petty to me.
I recently read the book “Fields Of Gold“. Short book. Easy read. One of the biggest points in this book is that we should not being worried about giving too much — but being more concerned about giving too little. I’ll use this in the context of what I give and haven’t given to my church.
This stings a bit, but I’ll admit, my heart has not always been where it needs to be concerning this area of my life. I can rationalize and reason with the best on how giving of some of my time = giving of my financial resources. I am here to tell you — not true. My family and I recently made a commitment to give off the top — something that I might add my wife has been pushing for quite some time. There is a freedom in giving right off of the top to something we believe in. To give what is leftover, what is essentially our table scraps, just feels stingy.
I mention this not because I am some “uber-holier-than-thou” person who thinks they have it all figured out. Part of my reasoning is, I need accountability. I know my heart… If I feel I have an inch of margin somewhere else, I will try to use it for some other reason. It may even be a good reason, but I will essentially be rationalizing and reasoning my way out of giving off the top, and I will eventually be giving my leftovers. I think we give more because we are giving off the top and not just what is leftover.
One of the ways we have done this is by using a service like eGive. This isn’t an advertisement for eGive, but I can have it set to take a specified amount and deliver to a host of charitable organizations. It is a great tool.
So, we are 2 months in to our commitment, and I am amazed at what God is continuing to do in our hearts as a result. Has it meant some sacrifice? You bet! Has it been worth it? YOU BET!! I only wish we had realized this sooner. But, I am stubborn. God bless Joy for putting up with me while I figured this out for myself
Whatever you believe in, whatever you give to, whatever method you choose to give — what is your ultimate choice? Are you giving “off the top”, liberally, freely or are you giving leftover, table-scraps? Are you more worried about giving too much or that you have given too little?
-Nathan
