More Blessed: Prayers for a Generous Spirit
Here’s this week’s entry from Pray Big for Your Life
Chapter 7
More Blessed: Prayers for a Generous Spirit
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35
It is one of the most beautiful biblical examples of passionate giving found in the New Testament. Mary enjoyed a close relationship with Jesus. She, along with her sister and brother, had become safe people for Jesus. They knew him more than just casually. They were close friends. Mary certainly had multiple opportunities to privately express her love for Christ. But time came when Mary’s private worship of Jesus was no longer enough. She sensed a deep longing welling up inside of her to increase her love and worship of Jesus—even if it meant being misunderstood and criticized.
Mary’s inner desire was finally expressed in one of the most powerful and poignant acts of worship and extravagant giving recorded in the Bible. John, an eyewitness to the event, recorded what happened:
Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” John 12:1-8
What is often lost in the details of that story is the personal sacrifice Mary made when she emptied her perfume jar out on Jesus’s feet. Such a valuable commodity could have been sold off little by little and would have provided significant extra income for Mary and her family. Reason and pragmatism suggest that Mary could have demonstrated her love for Christ just as easily by only using some of the perfume and saving the rest for more practical purposes. But that was not in Mary’s heart. She had been gripped by a desire to offer all that she had to Christ. Saving for herself was no longer the point. She wanted to give as generously, as passionately and extravagantly as she could.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Church
The self-abandonment and giving spirit that Mary showed has been tragically lost on this generation of Christ-followers. We have forgotten what Jesus taught us—that when we give to the poor and needy we give to him (see Matthew 25:40). So even though our gifts and sacrificing may actually benefit a church or ministry, we’re still pouring out our love on Jesus’s feet. Giving still exalts and honors our Savior; it’s unfortunate that he’s not getting too much honor these days.
A recent study by the Barna research group indicated that only about 5% of Americans actually tithe (give away 10% or more) their income. Of Americans who claimed to be born-again Christians, only 9% gave away 10% or more of their income. Stated more bluntly, over 90% of Christians in America don’t tithe. As a result, ministries and churches face ongoing difficulties because of financial shortfalls. Many Christians simply aren’t sharing their financial resources. Few worship Jesus through giving; few are pouring out their love into his Body.
The news about church giving isn’t much better. A recent study of the nation’s largest denominations indicated that only 2% of money given to U.S. denominational churches actually gets used for missions. So, those of us (church leaders) who set church policy and are supposed to pave the way and be an example for other Christians don’t seem to have much of a passion for sharing either. It seems the spirit of Mary’s extravagant giving is in real trouble in the U.S. today.
That’s actually a bit ironic, isn’t it? America isn’t just one of the richest countries in the world, it’s one of the riches countries in history.[iii] The typical American—and that includes American Christians—lives at a level of comfort and provision unheard of around the world. Our sense of “normal” isn’t normal at all. We are a blessed people; and tragically, we’re squandering what God has given us.
That’s why we need to pray for a heart like Mary’s. We need to ask God to make us a people who look for chances to anoint and honor Jesus through our giving to others. We need for God to resurrect in us the same spirit that caused him to give his Son for us. Extravagant giving is at the heart of biblical Christianity. We need to pray for God to make us extravagant givers.
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