Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16
“A famous saying tells us, “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.” Giving a fish and giving a fishing lesson are both small and simple acts of generosity but with vastly different outcomes. Development organizations have long recognized the strategic relevance of this concept. A spirit of generosity is wonderful, but it can become something truly transformational when we get strategic!
In Ephesians, Paul tells us to “be very careful” how we live. The phrase implies the ideas of observation, thoughtfulness, and focus beyond the normal. “Making the most of every opportunity” extends this concept further. Not just recognizing an opportunity, not just mak- ing something of it, but squeezing the absolute maximum out of it! And not just occasionally—every opportunity!
Early in my ministry, I applied for a grant from a foundation that I knew supported the concept of what we were doing. I was hopeful of receiving $10,000 or maybe even a bit more. Their considered response: “We’ll give you $10,000 now, and if you can raise another $10,000 from other sources, we’ll match that with another $10,000.”
First, I was blessed by their generosity. We had a vision, and they were glad to respond. But I was doubly blessed (triply, in fact!) because of their strategic generosity. We were able to use their gesture to challenge other people to respond to our need, and we ended up with $30,000. But guess what? We weren’t the only ones who were blessed. The other givers were excited that their gift had been strategically doubled, and the original giver was encouraged to see additional support emerge for us. And our mission was significantly advanced.”
Gary Williams in “Strategic Generosity” excerpt from Day Five of Seven Day Generosity Challenge by John Wiebe and the MB Foundation. Click to download the PDF and go through it.
Gary’s a dear Aussie mate. I must tell you “the rest of the story” to strengthen His word today about strategic generosity. He heads up CMA which builds up Christian ministry workers across Australia.
I don’t know who gave the $10,000, but I know the outcome. It helped CMA grow capacity. Today, CMA provides training in all facets of ministry administration and governance. And it formed CMASC.
CMASC is the peer accountability group for Australia (like ECFA in the USA or AfCAA for Africa). CMASC accredits ministries for following standards to honor God and position them for sustainability.
This week I get to speak at the CMA Resilient Conference on “Discerning Direction: Mapping faithful activities for teams and measuring fruitful outcomes that honor God.” Pray I serve them well.
And may I challenge you to practice strategic generosity. Yesterday I alerted you to the status of the matching gift for AfCAA. With 11 days left we are up to 22 givers and $2,359 USD toward the $5,000 goal.
Make the most of this opportunity. Gary Williams might add, a gift to AfCAA moves beyond giving a person a fish. Like CMASC, AfCAA teaches people to fish to ensure God-honoring, fruitful ministry!