Those of us who live in Europe and North America have unprecedented resources at our disposal.  Relatively speaking, we are incredibly wealthy.  And yet, our abundance of financial resources does not typically seem to result in a corresponding abundance of generosity.  If anything, wealth often seems to create more materialism, hedonism, and narcissism!  Why is that?!?  I think it has to do with greed.  But what's crazy about greed is that it doesn't always mean compulsive hoarding or embezzling or stealing.  Our greed can often be very subtle, and this lies at the heart of our hypocrisy, when it comes to our finances.

Two-thousand years ago, the Pharisees were some of the most disciplined people ever, when it came to their material resources.  They followed -- literally -- all the Old Testament laws about tithing:  giving 10 percent of everything (and I mean everything) to God.  Land, income, livestock, crops -- even each little herb and spice!  Their commitment to these principles of financial management was admirable.  Awe-inspiring, even.  But even though they kept immaculate books on their tithing, their hearts were not always in the right places.  In fact, when Jesus talked to the Pharisees about their financial hypocrisy, he said, "What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, (the Greek here actually says, “you tithe the mint, the rue, and every herb”) but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things" (Luke 11:42).  Apparently, tithing does not automatically cure you of selfish motives.  Later on, Jesus also says, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own” (Luke 12:15).

Reading all of this got me to thinking.  Like the Pharisees, I’m actually very methodical about my generosity.  I'm a regular tither (and have been for the last 10 years).  I even give above and beyond my tithe to support other “worthy causes.”  But if I really stop to examine my heart about this, I realize that my “generosity” is really more motivated by a sense of religious obligation (knowing what I “should” be doing) more than an actual heart of generosity.  If I'm really honest about it, I feel like I'm not a very merciful person at all.  I don't really care all that much about the homeless or the poor.  My heart isn't really affected by those problems at all (or, if it is, it's more out of repulsion than empathy!).  My wife helps to balance me out in this a little bit, so I'm glad for that.  But the truth is that any appearance of generosity on my part is largely a mask:  an act of hypocrisy.

I realize that this is kind of a tricky balance.  It's good to be disciplined, even if you don't feel like doing something.  But as I thought about it, I felt God challenging me in this area.  A good example of how I miss the bigger picture is my attitude towards my Cherry Coke (or Coke or Dr. Pepper).  You see, I try to limit myself to two liters of soft drink per week -- so I don't get fat or get rotten teeth or anything like that... Thus, my cola is a very precious commodity to me, maybe even more valuable than money, in certain ways (it's so dumb, because it's just sugar and water and bubbles... but that's my heart, if I'm being perfectly honest).  So if we ever have guests come over, I’ll always play the role of the good host:  “Can I get you anything to drink?  Water, coffee, tea?”  But... You guessed it:  I won't offer my cola!  At times, I've even gone so far as to hide my precious bottle of Cherry Coke in the back of the refrigerator or in a different part of the house altogether!  It's ridiculous, but it's true!  So it's hard to escape the fact that I'm a hypocrite when it comes to my resources.

That's where it's good to remember that the antidote to hypocrisy in the area of finances is to focus on a rich relationship with God, depending on Him (instead of our material resources) for our every need.  Luke 12:21 says it so simply, but so eloquently:  "Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God."  Luke 12:29-31 adds, "And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things.  These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs.  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.

This isn't so tricky, in theory.  But then again, it's very tricky, in practice.  I want to trust God more and more in this area of my life, developing true generosity... So next time you come over to my house, ask if I've got any soft drinks on hand, and we'll see how I'm doing with that one. :-)