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Giving Is the Good Life
Giving Is an Eternal Investment That Benefits Us Here and Now
BY RANDY
ALCORN
I’m
sharing more today about my new book Giving Is the Good Life,
which was released this week.
Some
readers might wonder how it differs from my book The Treasure
Principle.
Instead
of a short book, it’s mid-sized, allowing me to explore many things there
wasn’t room for in The Treasure Principle, including a number of
things I’ve learned in recent years.
In
particular, one distinctive of Giving Is the Good Life is that
I have collected many exciting and meaningful giving stories, most of them
short.
Some
are integrated into the main text of the book, while others are featured in
sidebars.
They
illustrate the biblical principles related to giving and will broaden readers’
minds to many creative and exciting ways to give that most people may not have
considered.
While
the teaching from God’s Word, including the bad news and good news about money,
is foundational, I honestly believe that the stories may inspire many people to
discover forms of giving that fit their own hearts and passions and love for
people.
The
following is the second part of the introduction to Giving Is the Good
Life (see part one).
One of
the biggest misconceptions about giving is that the money we part with to help
the needy or to spread the gospel just disappears and is gone forever.
While
we hope others will benefit from it, we’re quite sure we won’t.
We even buy into the devil’s lie that giving will rob us of the good life.
We
couldn’t be more wrong.
Jesus
told His disciples that when they gave money away, their hearts would follow
the treasures they were storing in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-21).
He also
said that at the Resurrection, God would reward them for helping the needy (Luke 14:14).
Somehow,
we’re forever connected to what we give and the people we give it to.
Martin Luther has been credited with saying, “I have held
many things in my hands and I have lost them all. But whatever I have placed in
God’s hands, that I still possess.”
The
Bible shows that anything we put in God’s hands is an investment in eternity.
But
that doesn’t just mean that someday our giving will bring us
good. It will actually do us good here and now — at the same time it does good
for others.
That’s
why the good life is inseparable from generosity.
I once heard a longtime Christian say, “I always used to
tithe, checking off the box of spiritual duties. I never got excited about it.
Then, as my wife and I learned about generosity, suddenly giving became fun. My
wife told me that until then she’d never seen me write a check with a smile on
my face!”
Does
that seem too good to be true? Keep reading, because as we’ll discover, the
truth is far better than we could ever imagine.
Generosity Is Good for Everyone, Not Just Christians
Even
outside the Christian world, there’s a great deal of emphasis on philanthropy.
Bill
Gates, Warren Buffett, and various actors, musicians, and athletes have
championed giving to various causes.
It’s
not uncommon for people who don’t profess Christ to believe in helping the poor
and advocating for the oppressed.
In
fact, modern research has much to say about the benefits of generosity.
In
their book The Paradox of Generosity: Giving We Receive, Grasping We
Lose, sociologists Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson write about Smith’s
findings on giving, which are based on years of careful studies.
His
conclusions may seem unexpected, but they shouldn’t be at all surprising to
those who understand we’re created in the image of a generous God.
They write, “Those who give, receive back in turn. By
spending ourselves for others’ well-being, we enhance our own standing.
. . This is not only a philosophical or religious teaching; it is a
sociological fact.”
Smith’s
extensive research, which included more than two thousand surveys of American
adults and many personal interviews, reveals this:
Giving money, volunteering, being relationally generous, being a
generous neighbor and friend, and personally valuing the importance of being a
generous person are all significantly, positively correlated with greater
personal happiness, physical health, a stronger sense of purpose in life,
avoidance of symptoms of depression, and a greater interest in personal growth.
In her
book The Giving Way to Happiness: Stories and Science behind the
Life-Changing Power of Giving, Jenny Santi shares the results of a 2008
study by Professor Elizabeth Dunn of the University of British Columbia.
Participants
received an envelope with either five dollars or twenty dollars. Some were
instructed to spend the money by the end of the day; others were told to give
it away.
“Participants who were instructed to spend the money on a gift
for someone else or for a charitable donation reported greater happiness than
those who were instructed to spend the money on themselves.”
These
are not isolated examples. Scientific studies back up what God’s Word has been
saying for thousands of years: generosity pays immeasurable dividends.
God
rewards people for generosity in this life as well as in the life to come. He
does this because He is a God of grace and a lavish giver Himself.
Generosity Benefits Recipients and Givers
Surprisingly,
the Bible doesn’t talk that much about how giving changes the lives of its
recipients. More often, it talks about what giving does for the one who
gives.
I could
have filled Giving Is the Good Life with stories of how the
hungry are fed, how clean water saves children, and how people weep for joy
when they receive God’s Word in their heart language.
While
I’ve included some of those vital stories in the book, I’ve following the
example of Scripture by focusing on the giver’s happiness, rewards, and
spiritual transformation.
My book
isn’t big enough to explore the extent of the world’s needs. While I briefly
summarize the facts of poverty, injustice, and unreached people groups, most of
my readers are probably aware of those needs already or you can learn about
them elsewhere.
I believe
the best way I can serve the needy is to show God’s people the wonder and joy,
as well as the present and future rewards, of generous giving.
Giving
Is the Good Life is full of stories of people who have put into practice
the life-changing biblical principles of generosity.
Each
story is a practical example that can help stimulate your imagination and
expand your dreams of serving Jesus in fresh ways.
These
real-life models give you not just words to remember but footprints to follow.
In turn, as you apply these principles in your own unique way
and place, you will become an example to others, “a letter from
Christ . . . written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit
of the living God . . . carved not on tablets of stone, but on
human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:3, NLT).
I’m
excited about how we can change others’ lives through our giving. But I’m also
excited about how giving can change our lives, for God’s glory
and our good.
I pray
that Giving Is the Good Life will give readers a bigger view
of God and of generosity — one that stretches far beyond this present life.
And in
the process, I pray that they will understand more than ever what the good life
is really all about.
Giving Is the Good Life: The Unexpected Path to Purpose and
Joy
Wouldn’t
it be great if we could do what pleases God, helps others, and is best for us ―
at the same time? Can we live the good life without being selfish?
In Giving Is the
Good Life, bestselling author Randy Alcorn teaches life-changing
biblical principles of generosity and tells stories of people who have put
those radical principles into practice. Each story is a practical application
that can help stimulate your imagination and expand your dreams of serving
Jesus in fresh ways. These real-life models give you not just words to remember
but footprints to follow.
Giving Is the Good Life reveals a grander view of God and generosity―one that stretches far beyond our imagination and teaches us what the good life is really all about.
Giving Is the Good Life reveals a grander view of God and generosity―one that stretches far beyond our imagination and teaches us what the good life is really all about.
And coming soon: Are You Living the Good Life? (booklet)
Randy Alcorn (@randyalcorn)
is the author of fifty-some books and
the founder and director of Eternal
Perspective Ministries.
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