Upside Down Generosity

In Christian community, we have an inside language as with many other sectors of life. It’s called “Christianese.” Christianese is the language Christians speak at church and to other Christians. It’s like this…

I had a great quiet time today with my coffee.

We prayed a hedge of protection around it.

I’m trying to be in the world but not of it.

My life group helped me process this big decision.

Let’s invite them over for fellowship after the event.

His conversion happened as a young professional.

I am praying for all of your unspokens.

Perhaps one or more of these are go-to’s for you, and if so, that’s okay. Every group has its own unique words or expressions used to communicate ranging from different industries, sports cultures, educational streams and even cities or regions of the country. It’s just that it’s good to be aware of our inside language as Christians because people non-Christians can be turned off or tune out. After all, it’s incoherent to them.

Sometimes though, Christianese is the best way to say a lot, without saying a lot. One of them that relates to being generous is THE UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM. You’ve probably heard it. It refers to the idea that the principles, values and teachings portrayed throughout Scripture that highlight the Kingdom of God are typically in stark contrast to the principles, values and teachings our culture follows. For example, in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Paul speaks about how God looks at power and strength differently:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Compare that to our culture today where we tend to try to cover up our weaknesses because we think they make us appear less powerful. There are so many other “upside down” principles like this that can be found throughout scripture, but here’s one from Proverbs 3:9-10 that speaks to generosity:

Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.

At first glance, this verse may seem to promise material wealth if we give. But that’s not the case. Rather, this verse is setting a very counter-cultural framework—an upside down one! In our world today, financial best practices teach that first, we should acquire wealth (savings accounts, cash-values in life insurance, homes, Individual Retirement Accounts, etc.) and then be generous later “after our barns are filled with grain.” However, Scripture says that this should be reversed. We should give to God first, and then let him help us build our financial value.

This is not to say that we shouldn’t prioritize savings or retirement, after all, there is Godly wisdom in that too. Yet it does mean that we should elevate our giving by honoring God first with our finances, not just with what’s left over at the end after we spend on what matters to us. While this practice goes against the grain of conventional wisdom, there is something beautiful that happens when we follow the wisdom of God found in his kingdom. We’ll discover more fulfillment, more joy and more freedom than we otherwise may have experienced in following the world’s way. It’s counterintuitive, it’s countercultural. It’s upside down generosity.