Being Generous

One of the regulars at the cigar shop I work at is known for sharing his cigars. He enjoys the crème of the crop too. Today I was the recipient of one of these fine sticks, as were my co-workers. After he left, one of my coworkers remarked, “Yup, whenever he comes around it rains Byrons.” What really struck me was how happy he was to do it. He loved being generous.

As I was sitting here tonight by the fire enjoying his gift and a glass of Glenmorangie, I remembered Luke 16:9-12 (NIV),

I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

I don’t know if this guy is a Christian or not, but he is a great example of what Jesus was talking about. To put this in perspective, each of the cigars he handed out were $25 each. I don’t know about you, but I have been left wondering if I bought a box of cigars that cost that much, would I hand out four or five to people who were at best casual acquaintances, just because I knew they would enjoy one?

Ultimately, the level of generosity we show reveals how tight a hold we have on our stuff. It reveals whether we have our possessions or that our possessions have us. There is nothing wrong with having money. In fact, Jesus seems pretty clear in this passage that handling worldly wealth well is a sign that He can trust us with “true riches.”

How might you flex your generosity muscle today?