Stingy people are poor people indeed

Ever had one of those moments when you know something and no one else in the group does? You are almost chatting at the bit to get an opportunity to share it with someone, but perhaps you have been sworn to secrecy and cannot share it. The information you possess is almost too big to be contained. I think this is the way it is with what God gives us - it is almost too big for us to contain it! It leaves us feeling like we'd have to share it, or we'd burst. Imagine heading off to the market one day in search of a new lamp for your home. Anticipation mounts, for you have a particular mission in mind. Exploration of shelf upon shelf, for there are many lamps from which to choose. Choosing just the right one, expectation begins to build for you can imagine the light it will bring to your home. Then at last, you have the joy of experience - for the light shed illuminates all you could not see otherwise. If we have such an experience in seeking, obtaining, and experiencing the spiritual light Christ brings, why would we ever tuck it away for no one else to experience?

Jesus went on: “Does anyone bring a lamp home and put it under a washtub or beneath the bed? Don’t you put it up on a table or on the mantel? We’re not keeping secrets, we’re telling them; we’re not hiding things, we’re bringing them out into the open. “Are you listening to this? Really listening? “Listen carefully to what I am saying—and be wary of the shrewd advice that tells you how to get ahead in the world on your own. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes.” (Mark 4:21-25)

Anticipation is best understood as a type of "foretaste". There is some kind of hope which actually sets things in motion in our lives. We often don't know what it is we will discover as we spend time with Jesus, but we know from previous "tastes" of time in his presence, it will be a good thing. What we may not realize is that the word "anticipation" is a noun of ACTION. To anticipate something doesn't mean we wait in inactivity for whatever it is we hope to receive from our time with God - it means we enter into his presence with ACTION (not activity). There is a purpose - an intent - and it moves us. This is a moment of examination - for some things worth having require a little determined examination to uncover. I have learned this as I have been exposed to a few antique shops. Not all shops put the "good finds" right out there in the open. You almost always have to dig through shelf after shelf, box after box, or hidden crannies to find it. I think God may give us these times of examining what he has for us because he wants to us to come to a place of determined commitment to "find".

Once we are intent in our search and purposeful in our exploration, we are at the point of having to choose the truth we will hold onto. We are faced with many choices of "truth" in our lives - only one choice holds up to the test of time - the truth of God's word. Choosing involves consideration of the alternatives. God gives us each free will - the ability to choose. Whenever we are faced with choices, we consider the alternatives. Using our illustration of the lamp, we can choose one which is square and squat, or one which is tall and slender. One might fit the space better - while the other might just provide better light in the room. The choice is ours - choosing the one which "fits" our needs the best is oftentimes aided by the "nudges" of the one presenting us the options. God presents the options - we make the choice. As we begin to embrace truth, it begins to build an anticipated excitement within which we sometimes refer to as expectation. It is good to know our heavenly Father is overjoyed with us anticipating his good gifts - with eager anticipation and excited expectation.

The light shed in our time with Jesus illuminates our choices like nothing else. It all culminates in experience, doesn't it. When the light finally fills the room of our heart, darkness is dispelled. When darkness no longer taunts our heart (mind, will, and emotions), we are free to move like never before. God's hope for us is that we will come into a place of being "light-filled" and living with right choices, as a result. Let's learn to embrace God's light and not be stingy in sharing it with others. Just sayin!

Principle 8: Beware of the Stingy

Stingy:  Reluctant to give or spend; not truthfully generous; meanly or ungenerously small or scanty.  There are all kinds of "givers" in this world - some give with a genuine heart; others give with strings attached; still others put on the show of giving, but their heart is definitely not in it.  Scripture tells us God loves a cheerful giver - one who has learned to give without strings attached and from a genuine desire to meet the needs of another or to share the blessings of one's own life so another may be blessed.  As Solomon lays out these principles for living which are designed to give us a good foundation for our lives, he spends a little more time reminding us about the attitude of heart we are to exhibit.  He seems to focus a great deal on this idea of "genuineness" or "truthfulness".  Maybe this is because the degree of truthfulness we have in our daily dealings with others is comparable to how well we are being truthful in our relationship with Jesus!

Don’t accept a meal from a tightwad; don’t expect anything special.  He’ll be as stingy with you as he is with himself; he’ll say, “Eat! Drink!” but won’t mean a word of it. His miserly serving will turn your stomach when you realize the meal’s a sham.  (Proverbs 23:6-8 MSG)

The miserly are "inwardly calculating" individuals.  There is a calculation of the costs of all they do and "give".  Notice that I put "give" in quotes - this is because the miser doesn't really "give" - he extends something, but it is not with a genuine desire to either meet your need, nor to bless you from the abundance of his own blessed state.  Here is the crux of what Solomon wants us to realize - the genuineness of heart behind the actions we perform.  All the world wants to feel love - genuine compassion from another individual, a sense of being valued, and an assurance of acceptance.  The miserly individual is incapable of really extending this kind of genuine heart action toward another.

Generous individuals are liberal in their giving.  There is a freedom in their spirit which allows them to "part with" their time, talent, and treasures without hesitation.  This is in direct opposition to the spirit of the miserly or stingy.  The generous give that which is of value to another, while the miserly will consider the value of what he is giving and have a sense of regret in parting with it.  When God says he loves a cheerful giver, he is indicating this attitude of heart which enjoys giving something of value to another - whether it is time, talent, or treasure.  The generous give of their time - not counting the time as "theirs", but as a means by which they bless the life of another. Their willingness to give of their talents (those things which some might call their "abilities") is without measure - holding nothing back when another has a need.  This is the attitude of heart God expects of his children.

The difference between the two really comes down to how closely we hold onto the things, abilities, and time God gives to us.  The miserly see all they have as something they have achieved which they see as a means to benefit themselves.  The generous see all they have been given as something they can freely share with another.  The "liberality" of the giver is what is in view - their ability to truthfully be "openhanded" in their giving.  If you have ever seen one of those old fashioned paddle-balls with the red rubber ball attached to a length of elastic band, then you might just understand a little about the miser.  They have the ability to send the ball into the air, but they consistently expect it to come back to them (just like the red rubber ball does because it is attached to the paddle with the elastic band).  The generous have a paddle and a ball, but no elastic band.  When they send the ball, they do so without expecting it to come back to them.

The amazing thing about generous people is the way God always blesses them - even though they never gave to be blessed!  If we find ourselves giving in order to get, we are not truthfully genuine in our giving - we are doing it with strings attached.  The joy of God's heart is to give - it is the story of salvation - he gave what no one deserved because he loved us that much.  The "story" behind our giving is something which might just reveal either a generous or a miserly heart.  When we stop to examine how we "give", we might just be surprised by how frequently we expect something in return.  Learning to give with "openhanded" joy is truly something learned as we embrace the spirit of the giver of all good things - God himself.  Just sayin!