The issue of generosity and giving is one I have contemplated many times. A chief conclusion I have made is a desire to maintain a mindset of earning money for the purpose of giving money.
My vocation will presumably be related to the major God has placed me in. He has given me everything I have now, has been unspeakably loving and faithful, and I will never come close to having any potential to repaying Him. Should I not then have every desire to give back everything I possibly can, if only to begin to demonstrate the gratitude that ought to be overwhelmingly, ever present? Jesus told us that the way to do this is to give to the poor, feed the hungry, etc. Not to mention the fact that we should want to help others out of our own love for people.
The somewhat deficient financial situation of typical College students (me being very much included) certainly leaves opportunity for plenty of excuses for being greedy with monetary funds. One must be careful not to give in to such tendency. However, Christ doesn’t necessarily demand money from every situation. God has placed me in this school, so that is currently my priority when it comes to setting aside funds. I don’t think God would be upset if there were nothing left over to give after paying the bill. We can give in other ways besides money, specifically by giving our time, energy, and skills.
The important thing is to be doing/giving everything we possibly can out of the overflow of love and gratitude in our hearts. The question I ponder the most, especially concerning my future, is concerning the balance of how much I should keep versus how much I should give. I wonder to what extent personal luxuries can be justified, if at all. I am still on the fence regarding the specifics. However, when it comes to daily life, if I just make every decision according to God’s council, how can I go wrong?
