Christian Union: The Magazine Summer 2017 | Page 16

feature section | stewardship, generosity and joy
Kingdom Generosity
Q and A with Mark Dillon
M
ark Dillon has spent his career
helping Christian causes secure
support, at Trinity Evangelical
Divinity School, Wheaton College, Ameri-
can Bible Society, and now as the executive
vice president at Generis, a firm committed
to growing generosity in churches, Chris-
tian education, and many other Christ-cen-
tered ministries. He is the author of Giving
and Getting in the Kingdom: A Field Guide
(2012, Moody Publishers).
CU: In your book, Giving and Getting in
the Kingdom, you write that not all givers
are the same. What do generous people
have in common?
MD: One of the great joys of my life has
been interaction with thoughtful Christian
stewards—scores of them, if not hundreds.
Generous people have guided me to be a
more generous person, and frankly, a better
person. Here are the consistent character-
istics that I see over and over again.
CU MAGAZINE: How would you define
generosity?
CU: You have said that generosity and giv-
ing are consistent with God’s very nature.
Can you elaborate?
MARK DILLON: Generosity is a way of
life—a way of being—that exudes pro-
found gratitude for God’s provision and
deep regard for the needs of others and
Christ’s kingdom above your own. Truly
generous people understand, innately, that
what they have received, including material
wealth, is an unmerited gift of God. The
world says, “I’ve earned this and it is mine.”
The follower of Christ says, “What I earn
and invest in this temporal life counts for
very little. But what I invest in God’s eter-
nal kingdom lasts forever.” That is where
joy and meaning come from—in this life
and the next.
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MD: Sure. When you think of it, grace
defines all of God’s activity toward His
creation. He’s freely given us everything:
life, breath, family, provision, salvation,
an eternal home. Someone has said we’re
most like God when we’re giving. Giving
lavishly, regardless of merit, is the mark of
a true child of God.
Mark Dillon is the author of Giving and
Getting in the Kingdom.
First and foremost, generous people
exude joy. They are grateful for life and
breath and every material and spiritual
blessing of their lives. Reluctant givers hold
tightly to what they believe are their pos-
sessions. Generous people get joy out of
giving their wealth, wisdom, and service.
The more they give of themselves, the more
joy they radiate.
True givers are not consumed with
their own comfort. Their perspective is
other-oriented, not self-oriented. A few
months ago, I was walking in New York
City and passed a sleeping homeless person
I had seen many times before. I saw a wom-
an do a beautiful thing. She saw his crusty,
dirty feet sticking out of his tattered blan-
ket as he slept. She got down on her knees
at the foot of his “bed” and carefully, gen-
tly, pulled the blanket over his exposed feet
and patted his feet. Beautiful.
One of the givers I admire most spends
many days every year helping to build
housing for the homeless. He could give
money to enable others to do it, but he
gets his hands dirty and his body tired for
the sake of others.
True givers are humble about their
possessions. They don’t talk about what
they have earned or achieved, they talk
about what God has given them: life, fam-
ily, and yes, material prosperity. It is not
what they have earned, it is what God has
graciously given them as a trust for their
stewardship.
True givers never stop pushing them-
selves to be more generous. I think gen-
erosity is much more a spiritual discipline
than an innate gift. Generous givers are
always learning from others and from
Scripture how to be more like God in giv-
ing of themselves.
CU: What surprised you when you wrote,
Giving and Getting in the Kingdom?
MD: The most pleasing response I’ve re-
ceived, particularly from fundraisers for
Christian ministries, is “Thank you for
sharing how my work is not talking peo-
ple out of money they don’t want to give,
but rather, encouraging God’s people to
be generous with their resources for the
sake of Christ’s kingdom. It makes all the
difference in the meaning of my work.”
The other overwhelming response was
the observation that there are different
kinds of givers, even in the Church. We