The enemies of deeper life generosity
One great enemy of deeper life generosity is the “self.” Myself and yourself. If the deeper life is aimed at exalting Christ as God’s word tells us it is, then any opposition to exalting Christ will be expressed by exalting someone else instead. And that someone else is us.
Self-exaltation takes many forms, sometimes so subtle that we don’t even realize our error. Here are some of the more prevalent forms:
Self-sufficiency – The belief that we, in and of ourselves, have everything we need to survive and thrive. This illusion denies our utter dependence on God and rejects his sovereignty over his creation.
Personal autonomy – The belief that our lives and possessions belong to us and not God and that we are not accountable to God for how we live. This belief renders biblical stewardship meaningless by usurping God’s position as owner of all things. It also justifies in our minds the idea that we control our lives.
Scarcity mentality – The belief that our circumstances limit God’s ability to provide for our needs and accomplish His purposes. This thinking denies God’s all-sufficiency, as well as His sovereignty.
Consumerism – The belief that our identity, well-being, and happiness depend on material possessions. This idea leads us to trust in the creation rather than the Creator, replaces God’s definition of success with the world’s definition, and prioritizes the temporary over the eternal. All these beliefs prompt us to compare ourselves to others, thereby suspending God’s biblical standard in favor of a human standard.
Prosperity gospel – The belief that physical and material blessings are entitled by those who have faith that God will provide them. While God sometimes grants physical and material blessings to His people, those are not promised as a part of the Christian life. Instead, believers are told to expect trials and suffering in this fallen world and to expect that God will meet our needs as we trust Him and seek first His righteousness. Furthermore, God’s abundant grace toward believers is always expressed in terms of spiritual blessings, which are precious promises to hold onto (see Ephesians 1 for a good summary of these blessings).
Legalism – The belief that God’s favor is earned or lost because of our choices, whether financial or otherwise. This posture is often expressed by treating non-commandments as commandments and is essentially a return to the works-based system of the old covenant a covenant that only brought condemnation and death.
Tithing mentality – The belief that our giving responsibility is defined as a specific percentage of our income. This perspective undermines the reality that the bare minimum we owe to God is everything, our entire lives. It’s not wrong to commit to regularly giving a specific amount. But, if we’re not careful, this practice can become a checkbox approach to giving by taking what was essentially a God-instituted tax under the old covenant (the “tithe,” which literally means “tenth”), and making it the giving standard under the new covenant. In doing so, Spirit-led generosity is supplanted by law, and the door to complacency and legalism is opened wide.
Each of these pitfalls is an expression of unbelief in something God has declared to be true. And behind that unbelief is pride, thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought. In other words, each is concerned with elevating ourselves to a place reserved for Christ rather than humbly submitting to, abiding in, and depending on our gracious Lord, who, out of His very nature, is exceedingly generous toward us. Whether the air we breathe, the great job we have, or the dear friends we share life with, every good thing given is from above (James 1:17).
Building on this truth, A. B. Simpson describes deeper life generosity this way:
“When we cease to own ourselves, all the selfish bonds holding us to our belongings are sweetly broken, and we rise into the glorious liberty of a life of unselfish love. It seems to be clearly taught in the scriptures that God does not want our gifts or services until He has us.”
Ask God to show you the ways that you are personally tempted to exalt yourself and ask Him to help you overcome them. As you seek for Christ to become greater and for yourself to become less (John 3:30), you will experience a deeper life in Christ and deeper life generosity will follow.