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Biblical Principles of Financial Planning

by Aidan Vaughan

GENEROSITY

What a terrific adjective, suggesting delightful synonyms of kindness, consideration, thoughtfulness and then the verb 'magnanimous' comes to mind.  Wouldn’t you just love to meet such a person?  Generosity is a virtue that every man or woman should strive for.  It connects people, creates community and saves people from focusing on themselves. What a privilege to be a grateful recipient of someone's unbridled generosity. 

The basis of generosity lies in a heart attitude 'I have been given so very much, so I want to be a generous hearted giver' and follows directly on from our first Biblical principle 'God owns it all'. For the Christian, the ultimate generosity was in God giving his precious Son to an undeserving world in general and dying a hideous death for my sins in particular.  When it comes to the nitty-gritty, one should think of the parable of the Good Samaritan, extending generosity to a real enemy in a pretty comprehensive way. Would my generosity 'cross the road' to help a needy friend, let alone a stranger?

That story involves giving time and then money which brings us round to just how generosity should form part of the bank balance and your Financial Planning.  Remember a few pointers:

• Giving should be the first part of your income.  Its significance is that it practically demonstrates what's most important in your life.  For the Christian, giving is a treasured responsibility.
• How much?  For the ancient agricultural people of Israel, giving was prescriptive - a tithe (ten percent) of all produce (Lev. 27v30).  In the New Testament it is much more about deciding what is appropriate and then 'cheerfully' giving (2 Cor. 9v7) which could of course be more than one tenth! 
• Giving could encompass a lump sum as well as pre-planned direct debits from your income. 
• I would suggest being positively excited about the good that may be achieved by even a small gift.  In a developing nation, the buying power of a £1 gift is multiplied many times over.
• Who should we be generous to?  For all of us it must include our financial dependents, not spoiling them but fostering a sense of responsibility especially where children are involved.   Take reasonable care to see that a gift is well spent, without being a control freak.   For the Christian, it would surely include generosity towards church support and missions on a regular basis.
• Our tax system allows most gifts to recognised charities to be 'magnified' by tax reclaims.  Large gifts can go into trusts.  Be generous with your Will too.  Take some advice here.
• Be sensible! 

Remember that generosity is an attitude of heart and mind, it's the thought first then the amount!  Be willing to build up your giving - it is a lifetime's education, as is how best to utilise the 'retained' part of income and capital.  Often times the giver will not see the direct results of their generosity.

Finally, remember that generous people are nearly always contented people - they have seen the needs of others and then 'crossed over to help'!

Aidan Vaughan