“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do — blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. Matthew 6:1-4
“Some cover their pride with the pretence of high spiritedness, and please themselves in apprehensions of some magnanimity and generosity. But the truth is, it is not true magnitude, but a swelling out of the superabundance of pestilent humours. True greatness of spirit is inwardly and throughout solid, firm from the bottom, and the foundation of it is truth. Which of the two do ye think hath the better spirit, he that calls dust, dust, and accounts of dung as dung, or he that, upon a false imagination, thinks dust and dung is gold and silver, esteems himself a rich man, and raises up himself above others? Humility is only true magnanimity, for it digs down low, that it may set and establish the foundation of true worth. It is true, it is lowly, and bows down low. But as the water that comes from a height, the lower it comes down the higher it ascends up again, so the humble spirit, the lower it fall in its own estimation, the higher it is raised in real worth and in God’s estimation.”
Hugh Binning (1627-1653) in “A Treatise of Christian Love” (Edinburgh, 1743) excerpt from chapter five.
Magnanimity is synonymous with generosity, and from God’s perspective, true magnanimity cannot be found without humility. Today I want to honor our daughter, Sophie Victoria Hoag, as she turns 20 years old today. She’s a beautiful young woman whose life is solid, because her roots go deep in the firm foundation of God’s truth. She also exhibits true magnanimity with humility, caring what God sees and thinks of her above the estimations of people (cf. 1 Peter 3:3-4). In at least three ways, she reminds me of Hugh Binning.
Firstly, as the son of a prominent landowner, Hugh Binning could have used that status for personal gain. Instead, he humbled himself to serve others and help them grasp Christian love. That’s Sophie, always lovingly attuned to serving the needs of those around her with the blessings she has gratefully received from God. Secondly, Binning was committed to rigorous learning and religious exercises. That’s Sophie, dedicated to studying God’s Word. Thirdly, Binning became a brilliant young Scottish theologian and philosopher who had a way with words. It was commonly said, “There is no speaking after Mr. Binning.” That’s Sophie, she loves words and writing, and she exhibits wisdom beyond her years.
What about you? Would others say you have true magnanimity, this is, generosity coupled with humility? The way to get there is to bow down low, to esteem things as God esteems them, and to base your life on the foundation of truth. Humbly and generously use whatever you’ve got to serve others — wealth, status, knowledge, talents and abilities — in order to show Christian love. Binning uses colorful language like “dust” and “dung” to get our attention and help our thinking shift from false imagination to God’s estimation. What would God say about you?