Title: Econ 101
Text: II Corinthians 8:7-15
Thesis: The economic incentive to share of our resources has little to do with monetary return; however, there are obvious personal benefits.
Steven Levitt argues, in his book Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Looks at the Hidden Side of Everything, “Economics is, at root, the study of incentives: how people get what they want or need. If the incentive is great enough, with enough payroll in the end, people will go to great lengths to achieve it.”
Levitt cited the example of how seven million children disappeared in one day: Before 1987, people were only required to put the names of their dependent children on their tax forms. But, beginning in 1987, both the names and their social security numbers had to be listed. Overnight, seven million children disappeared. Suddenly the risk of getting caught cheating on one’s taxes outweighed the incentive of the tax break.
In the field of economics the bottom line is always, “What’s in it for me?” “What do I have to gain?”
• “If I buy a hybrid automobile, will I get a four thousand dollar tax deduction?”
• “How much will you knock off of the asking price if we take it as is?”
• “What kind of signing bonus will you give me to come to work for your company?”
• “If you will move your money to our bank we will give you a new toaster.”
• “We will give you 0% interest for the first six months if you will transfer your credit card balance to our card.”
Whenever you want anyone to do anything or whenever anyone wants you to do something… there is always a carrot or incentive involved. The incentive may not be monetary but there is always an incentive.
I’m not exactly sure what the motive was in the case of the Paul Harvey news story aired on November 22, 1995 about a woman and her frozen Thanksgiving turkey.
The Butterball Turkey Company set up a telephone hotline to answer consumer questions about preparing holiday turkeys. One woman called to inquire about cooking a turkey that had been in the bottom of her freezer for 23 years. The Butterball representative told her the turkey would probably be safe to eat if the freezer had been kept below zero for the entire 23 years. But the Butterball representative warned her that even if the turkey was safe to eat, the flavor would probably have deteriorated to such a degree that she would not recommend eating it.
The caller replied, That’s what I thought. We’ll give the turkey to our church.
The Paul Harvey story reminded me of a lady in one of the churches we served who arrived at the parsonage one weekday with a grocery bag of frozen meat. She said, We just butchered a steer and I needed to clean out the freezer to make room, so I thought maybe you could use it. That was probably the nicest sack of choice cuts of tongue, ox tail, kidneys, liver and heart we’ve ever received.
I’m sure the lady felt good about getting a 23 year old frozen turkey out of her freezer and the knowledge that some poor family would be enjoying her generosity that Thanksgiving.
In our text today, Paul is encouraging his friends in the faith community in Corinth to be generous in sharing their personal resources. And, he weaves into his letter a number of things that he hopes will serve as incentives for them to be generous.
The first incentive is an appeal to their desire for excellence.
He wrote, Since you excel in so many ways; in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in enthusiasm, and in love, now I want you to excel also in this gracious ministry of giving. II Corinthians 8:7
On October 26, 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to the students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia. In his speech he said, If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven composed music, sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well.
But, how does the desire for excellence in all things translate to the Christian life? It is interesting that the scripture teaches us to do all things for the glory of God (I Corinthians 10:31 and Colossians 3:17). In other words, the Christian way of life is what instills in us the desire to excel in all of life. But, while we are eager to excel in all of life, we may neglect to excel in the Christian life.
In athletics, we want to excel. We want to win and earn scholarships and perhaps even go pro. In academics, we want to excel. Grades, class ranks, extra-curricular activities and community service matter when it comes winning scholarships. We want to excel in our places of employment. We want good reviews and performance raises. Thirty some of us wanted to win the coveted Best Chili Trophy at the chili cook-off earlier this year. We don’t want to be known as slovenly housekeepers or lousy parents or for keeping the worst lawn in the neighborhood. We want to excel and we work at excelling.
The writer is asking, So, just as you want to be good Christians in every other area of life, why not want to excel when it comes to being generous?
The second non-monetary incentive is the desire to prove your love.
Paul is being a little slippery here. First, he lays it on thick. He flatters them saying, You excel in so many ways, why not also excel in your giving. Then, he throws in a little shame, I’m not saying you must do it, even though other churches are eager to do it. But this is one way to test the sincerity of your love. II Corinthians 8:8
Readers in the January/February 2006 issue of Country Woman magazine were asked: What gifts would you like from your sweetheart for Valentine’s Day? Several of the replies are below:
• C.V. of Rapid City, South Dakota, wrote: Sweetheart? What sweetheart? All I really want is a sweetheart for Valentine’s Day!
• Another woman—H.R. from Lethbridge, Alberta—replied: I don’t want anything on Valentine’s Day other than the attention, respect, and faithfulness my husband gives me any other day of the year.
• L.G. from Columbia, Tennessee, suggested romance: How about a book of Cupid coupons? I’d be able to redeem them for things like a foot massage, a fun night out, or hugs and kisses when I need them most.
• Finally, M.S. from Saint Charles, Illinois, replied: I’d love to have a day when my husband fixes me breakfast, tells me how terrific I look, picks up his socks, and listens to what I say.
Valentine’s Day is a day when men have an opportunity to prove the sincerity of their love. Acts of generosity for the needs of one’s church and in response to the needs of others is a demonstrated proof of one’s love for Christ, Christ’s Church and Christ’s people.
The third incentive cited in the text is the desire to follow the example of Jesus Christ.
You know how full of love and kindness our Lord Jesus Christ was. Though he was very rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. II Corinthians 8:9
When Jesus decided to give it all up, so to speak, and become one of us, he left the riches of heaven to come to earth where he once said of himself, Foxes have holes and birds have nests but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. His decision was hardly consistent with typical human behavior.
In an episode of "Seinfeld," the hapless George Costanza discovered that all of his instincts were wrong. In the scene, from episode 86, George and Jerry are seated at their favorite table at the local diner. An attractive blond woman shoots a glance George’s way. Generally, the balding and shy George would conclude that this vixen was way out of his league. Not today. Today he has discovered that all of his natural instincts are wrong, so the opposite must always be right. George resolves to begin doing the opposite of everything he would normally do. So in the scene, George got up from his table and walked over to where the woman was seated at the counter and said, My name is George. I’m unemployed and live with my parents. And she replied, I’m Victoria. Hi.
Doing the opposite has been good economic advice over the years. If everyone is selling, buy. If everyone is buying, sell. But doing the opposite is also what Jesus has always advocated. If we are to be devoted followers of Jesus Christ we can expect that we will be doing the opposite of what those around us would normally do.
When we become followers of Jesus Christ we find ourselves being asked to live a counter-culture lifestyle. Jesus asks us to do the opposite of what people would normally do in almost every situation. Jesus says, Turn the other cheek. Jesus says, Love your enemies. Jesus said, Forgive those who hurt you. Jesus says, Don’t worry, your heavenly Father knows what you need. Jesus says, Stop judging others. Jesus says, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Jesus says, Don’t store up treasures here on earth but rather store up treasures in heaven.
Paul says, If you really want to be like Jesus, share.
Sometimes the needs around us are so great that we feel like what little we have to offer could never make a significant difference, so we do nothing.
The fourth incentive is to do what we can.
The text invites us to do what we can do, willingly. Give whatever you can according to what you have. If you are eager to give, it isn’t important how much you are able to give. (If the willingness is there) God wants you to give what you have, not what you don’t have. II Corinthians 8:10-12
I like the way Paul stated the same concept in II Corinthians 9:7, Don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully.
This text is not about giving us a way out of being generous but rather sets a realistic boundary for us. We give all that we can, just not so much that we become financially needy ourselves.
I used to occasionally have breakfast with Jim Quinn and we would always get into some kind of discussion. One day we were talking about the woman who came into the house where Jesus was having dinner, carrying a beautiful and very expensive jar of perfume, which she proceeded to pour over his head. The disciples were immediately incensed and made a big fuss about the waste of an expensive jar of perfume that could have been sold and the proceeds then distributed to the poor. Jesus immediately took exception and defended her, as Jim put it, using colloquial language, Her did what her could.
Whether we are really well fixed or not so much so, is not the issue at this point. The question is, Will we give what we can and do so cheerfully?
Finally, of all the incentives to do something, certainly the fifth one is as good as any.
The letter writer wrote, Of course, I don’t mean you should give so much that you suffer from having too little. I only mean that there should be some equity. Right now, you can help. II Corinthians 8:13-15
Did you catch that last line? Right now, you can help. They may not have been in a position to give before and they may or may not be able to give in the future, but right now, they can make a difference.
The July 10, 2006 issue of Newsweek was a special double issue featuring The Giving Back Awards. Right in the middle of all the gut wrenching news about the latest white house staffers who have accepted freebie trips from special interest groups; the politics of the War in Iraq; Carl Rove’s ginning up the slime machine for November elections; speculation about the successor to Zarqawi; and the NASCAR Network, are the stories of 15 People Who Make America Great.
The issue came out just after Bill Gates announced his intention to shift his focus from Microsoft to managing the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and before Warren Buffets announcement that he was giving thirty billion additional dollars to the Gates Foundation. Though there is a single page citing the Philanthropy All-Star Team of heavy-hitter givers, the bulk of the article is about people who found ways to make a difference, including a simple thing like collecting shoes and sending them to impoverished peoples of the world.
It is a story that recognizes people who through bravery or generosity, genius or passion, devote themselves to making a difference.
I noticed that there was a list titled Big Names in Katrina Relief and beneath the title: American Red Cross 2.1 billion dollars; Salvation Army 362 million dollars; Catholic Charities 145 million dollars; Bush Clinton Fund 130 million dollars; Habitat for Humanity 124 million dollars and so on. But behind all the big names are a whole lot of little people like you and me who did a what they could in order to make a big difference.
So far, every single incentive I have cited from our text today is non-monetary in nature:
• The Desire for Excellence
• The Desire to Prove Our Love
• The Desire to Follow Jesus
• The Desire to Do What We Can
• The Desire to Make a Difference
Let me add one additional incentive. It comes in the form of a biblical promise to those who are generous in their giving. If you are a person who is motivated by monetary incentives, this is a good one.
The promise of Scripture is that when we are generous and cheerful about it, God will generously provide all we need. Then we will always have everything we need and plenty left over to share with others. II Corinthians 8:8
