THE JOURNEY FROM SELFISH TO SELFLESS
You are naturally selfish.
I know that because I, too, am naturally selfish. So are my kids and your kids. We are all naturally selfish. That’s why, when someone takes a group picture we’re in, the first person you look for in the photo is you. If you look good, even if everyone else has their eyes closed, it’s a great picture!
We’re all naturally selfish, but God wants us to become supernaturally generous. I’ve known some generous people, and I bet you have, and there is nothing more beautiful.
But because we are naturally selfish, we have to grow into generosity. Generous people are not born generous. They grow into it.
Excel in the Grace of Giving
In the Bible, the Apostle Paul encourages the Christians in Corinth to be generous.
Just as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us -- see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not commanding you… (2 Corinthians 8:7-8).
Paul tells them he wants them to excel, not just in faith, speech, knowledge, earnestness and love, but also in generosity. Faith and love may seem spiritual. Giving money and possessions may not, but it is. Jesus said what we do with our money has everything to do with our hearts (see Matthew 6:21).
Paul wants the Corinthians to excel in generosity, but he makes it clear he’s not commanding them. You can’t command someone to be generous. You know why? Because if you command them, and make them give generously, they’re not being generous. To be generous, it has to be from the heart.
Why Excel in That?
Paul wanted the Corinthians to excel in generosity. He’d want the same for us.
Why?
Because being generous is a big deal to God. In the Bible, God tells us that the highest priorities are that we love Him and love people. What’s most important after that? He doesn’t say. But He talks more in the Bible about what we do with our money, about us becoming generous, than any other topic.
We could make a great case that after love, generosity may be most important to God. And, really, generosity is love.
The Bible makes it clear that you can’t love God and love people without being generous. If you don’t give, if you’re not generous, there’s something lacking, something not sincere about your love. In fact, that’s what Paul says in the next verse:
“I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.” (2 Corinthians 8:8).
Paul wants us to know: “This is about love. Your generosity reveals the sincerity of your love.”
How to Excel
To inspire the Corinthians, Paul holds up the example of the Macedonian churches.
“And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. (2 Corinthians 8:1-4)
Most people believe, “If I had more, I’d be generous.” “When I have more, then I’ll be generous.” A ton of research proves that’s not true.
People don’t give more when they make more, and the most generous people tend to be people who make less.
That was true of the Macedonians. They were poor but gave generously and begged Paul to let them give more. They prove that poverty does not stop generosity.
What led these poor Christians to give so much? Primarily, two things:
#1 The Joy of their Salvation.
They knew who they were before Jesus – sinful, lost, without hope. They knew who they were after Jesus – chosen, adopted, forgiven, saved, blessed. They were motivated by the joy of their salvation and boundless gratitude. The more you realize what God has done for you, the more you want to do for Him. And it was clear to them what God wanted them to do: follow the example of Jesus in giving generously.
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).
Jesus voluntarily chose to surrender the majesty of Heaven - to become a vulnerable baby, born humbly in a manger in Bethlehem. From wealth to poverty. From throne to feeding trough. It’s unimaginable, but … God is generous.
And the journey from the glory of Heaven to the grunge of the manger was only the first step. In Philippians 2:5-8, we read of Jesus’ continuing descent as He became a human, then a slave, then died what is considered the most painful and humiliating form of death ever invented. It’s unthinkable … but … God is generous.
When your heart is overwhelmed with gratitude for what God has done, generously giving as He has given – is the natural result. Paul tells the Corinthians of their giving, “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God” (2 Corinthians 9:12).
#2 The Theology of First
Paul writes of the Macedonians:
“They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us” (2 Corinthians 8:5).
That word “first” says so much. We all have something we put first. For the Macedonians, it was God.
When God is first in your life, He is also first in your finances.
Most people’s highest financial priorities are their kids or their mortgage. You can tell what is first by the things you won’t cut when times are tight. If you had to start making emergency budget cuts, what would you not stop doing financially? Paying your mortgage? Making your car payment? Your cell phone or health insurance payment? Would you refuse to reduce your entertainment or eating-out budget?
When God is first – truly your highest priority – like He was for the Macedonian Christians, everything changes. This is why God told His people, “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops” (Proverbs 3:9-10). They lived in an agrarian society, so they gave crops instead of cash, and the crops God told them to give were the first fruits. God would say the same to us – if we excel in giving, we will give to Him first and, in an emergency, reduce our giving to Him last.
I have been teaching my kids how to manage money. Each week they get paid for “working” – for going to school and giving their best. I teach them that the first “payment” with their money is to God. Some years ago, Judah had over $30 to bring to church. That was a lot for an 8-year-old! He asked me, “Why Dad?” I explained, “God doesn’t need our money, but He does want our hearts.”
God wants to be our top priority, and He wants us to show our love for Him by giving.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).
Jesus was teaching us a truth about life: Your cash follows your heart, and your heart follows your cash. Wherever you place your treasure, your heart will quickly follow. You will be closest to Jesus when you are giving to Him.
It won’t be easy – remember, we’re all naturally selfish – but with God’s help, motivated by gratitude towards Him that leads you to put Him first – you can excel in giving.
TAKE ACTION
You were made to give. You were made to be generous. And like any skill, generosity grows with practice.
This week, take one intentional step toward excelling in the grace of giving. Maybe it’s tithing for the first time, going beyond your usual giving, or blessing someone in need without expecting anything in return.
Ask God: Lord, how can I grow in generosity this week? Who do You want me to bless? Then listen—and obey.
Remember, generosity isn’t about the amount. It’s about the heart.
And as you step out in faith, you’ll find that you’re not losing—you’re gaining. More joy. More trust in God. More alignment with His generous heart.
*If this has been helpful, please send me a message and let me know at brad@bradjenkins.me. And please help me by sharing this post with others who could benefit from it. My writing aims to help people enjoy a vibrant relationship with Jesus, and it is an honor to be on this journey with you.
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