Living Generously

Cover Article

by Michael Jones · Week of June 28, 2026

Picture a fist clenched tight around a handful of coins, knuckles white, fingers aching, the grip exhausting. Now picture that same hand opening slowly, palm upward, coins resting there freely, offered. That image captures one of the deepest transformations God works in a human heart: the journey from hoarding to generosity. Paul paints this portrait when he describes the Macedonian churches in 2 Corinthians 8:1–5. These believers were drowning in “extreme poverty,” yet their generosity overflowed like a river bursting its banks. Paul reveals the secret: “they gave themselves first to the Lord” (2 Corinthians 8:5). True generosity does not begin with a budget calculation. It begins with a surrendered heart. Paul reinforces this in 2 Corinthians 8:12: “For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.” God does not measure your gift by the amount. He weighs the willingness behind it. Generosity is not a financial transaction: it is spiritual formation. Every time we loosen our grip, we become more like Christ, who “though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Paul then unveils a principle woven into God’s creation: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6). Imagine a farmer at the edge of a fertile field, deciding whether to scatter seed widely or pinch out only a few grains. The stingy farmer thinks he is saving; in truth, he is starving his own harvest. The generous farmer flings seed with abandon, and the autumn bins overflow. This is not a prosperity promise guaranteeing wealth in exchange for donations. It is something far deeper: when we release what we have into God’s purposes, He produces a harvest we could never manufacture on our own. Paul drives this home in 2 Corinthians 9:8: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” All grace. All sufficiency. Every good work. God’s supply is not thin or reluctant: it is lavish, overflowing. When we trust Him enough to give, He proves Himself faithful enough to provide.

Generosity also wages war against the quiet cancer of self-centeredness. When our eyes are fixed on accumulating, our world shrinks to the size of our bank balance. Anxiety creeps in. Suspicion takes root. But generosity breaks that stranglehold and turns our gaze outward and upward. Jesus pointed to the most unlikely hero: a destitute widow who dropped two copper coins into the temple treasury, “all she had to live on” (Luke 21:1–4). The rich gave impressive sums from their surplus, but the widow gave from her want. Jesus said she “has put in more than all of them” (Luke 21:3). Her gift was not merely money. It was trust. It was a declaration that God, not coins, was her security. She walked away with empty pockets and a full heart, richer in faith than every wealthy donor combined. That is the paradox of generosity: the open hand always holds more than the clenched fist.

Generosity reaches far beyond the collection plate on the first day of the week (1 Corinthians 16:1–2). We can be generous with our time, sitting with the lonely. We can be generous with encouragement, speaking words that “give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29). We can be generous with hospitality, opening our homes as the early church did (Romans 12:13; Hebrews 13:2). Peter urges, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Peter 4:10). Every ability, every resource, every moment of attention is a seed sown into the lives of others. And here is the beautiful secret: generous living transforms the giver as much as the receiver. It loosens the chains of materialism. It quiets the voice of fear. It draws us into the rhythm of God’s own heart, for “God so loved the world, that he gave” (John 3:16). As you go through this week, ask yourself: What am I clutching that God is asking me to release? What fear keeps my fist closed? The Father who gave His only Son can surely be trusted with your open hand. - MJ

Other congregations are welcome to reprint this. It may be reproduced in another congregation’s bulletin or newsletter without asking permission. An acknowledgement of Orange View Church of Christ is appreciated but not required.

Bible Questions & Answers

What does the Bible say about alcohol?

This question deserves careful treatment because the Bible’s teaching on alcohol is more nuanced than many realize. We must resist oversimplifying in either direction: pretending Scripture flatly forbids all consumption, or pretending it gives a carefree endorsement. A faithful handling of the text requires examining what God’s word actually says in its original context. Let us begin with historical reality: wine (Greek oinos) was a common beverage in the ancient Near East and Greco-Roman world. It appears throughout both Testaments without inherent condemnation. The cup at the Passover meal, which the Gospels describe simply as “the fruit of the vine,” was most likely wine, though the text never says so outright (Matthew 26:27–29). Jesus produced wine at the wedding in Cana (John 2:1–11). Paul instructed Timothy, “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments” (1 Timothy 5:23). These texts make it exegetically untenable to argue that Scripture categorically prohibits alcohol consumption. The New Testament nowhere issues such a prohibition.

However, and this is critically important, Scripture speaks with unmistakable clarity against drunkenness. Paul commands, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). The Greek word for “debauchery” is asotia, meaning “dissipation,” a reckless abandonment of self-control. Paul lists drunkenness among the “works of the flesh” in Galatians 5:19–21, declaring that “those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Peter groups “drunkenness” and “orgies” among sins Christians must leave behind (1 Peter 4:3). The distinction Scripture draws is between sobriety and drunkenness, between self-mastery and slavery to appetite. The Old Testament reinforces this. “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1). The Hebrew for “mocker” (luts) describes one who scorns wisdom, and Solomon personifies wine with that character. Proverbs 23:20–21 warns, “Be not among drunkards…for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty.” Proverbs 23:32 adds, “In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder.”

The scriptures are the inspired counsel of God, and they are replete with warnings that alcohol carries real danger. That danger is not theoretical to me. As a federal prosecutor and hearing officer who handles sex-crime cases every month, I can say with confidence that alcohol is involved in nearly every one of them. I have seen up close, again and again, the staggering harm and heartbreak that follow when drink dissolves judgment and restraint. Scripture’s warnings are not the nervous rules of killjoys; they are the loving guardrails of a God who knows exactly what alcohol can unleash.

Beyond personal sin, Paul introduces the principle of love-governed liberty. In Romans 14:21 he writes, “It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.” The Greek for “stumble” (proskomma) means placing a hindrance that causes another to fall into sin. Even where an action is not inherently sinful, love for a weaker brother may call us to surrender our liberty voluntarily. This is not legalism imposed from outside; it is love exercised from within. For those with a family history of addiction, for those who have struggled with dependency, for those whose conscience is troubled, complete abstinence is the wise and faithful path. Paul affirms this in 1 Corinthians 6:12: “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything.” The Christian must never be mastered by any substance. Our bodies are “a temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19), and we are to “glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20).

Where does this leave us practically? The biblical call is toward wisdom, sobriety, and self-control, which Paul names as a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). Some faithful Christians will choose to abstain entirely, and they should be respected without being made to feel legalistic. Others may partake in moderation without violating conscience or Scripture, and should not be judged (Romans 14:3–4). What no Christian may do is become drunk, use alcohol in a way that enslaves, or exercise liberty at the expense of a brother’s soul. Peter captures the overarching principle: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The word “sober-minded” (nepho) means clear-headed, watchful, free from every fog that dulls spiritual alertness. Whether you abstain or partake with moderation, let that decision be governed by Scripture, by love for your brethren, and by honest self-assessment. If alcohol has any hold on you, if you cannot stop, or if drinking brings regret, please reach out for help. There is no shame in seeking support, only wisdom. In all things, may we pursue what Paul commends: “So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding” (Romans 14:19). - MJ