Reformed Wisdom

On Acts 5:1 –

“Therefore, it is, to say the least, prudent for a man who has an abundance of possessions to be prudent in his use of them to satisfy his brethren’s lack, just as Paul also shows clearly in 2 Corinthians that it is for this purpose that we have the possessions which God gives us in this world (2 Cor. 8:14). Consequently, he who has an abundance is not to waste his excess but to consider that it has been placed in his hands to make him aware that he is not so much its owner as the one who must help his neighbors with it. That is why we cannot impose a definite rule to indicate to what extent everyone is to be generous. But the fact is that we cannot do too much.

“Still, our Lord wants us to have a joyful heart, for he wants the sacrifices which we offer to him to be voluntary (2 Cor. 9:7). He does not want us to act out of constraint but out of our free will. He does not want us to act with pretense and hypocrisy, but whenever we are disposed to help our neighbors, he wants us to do so wholeheartedly and voluntarily, as if opening our hearts to show them our goodwill toward them” – John Calvin, Sermons on the Acts of the Apostles, Chapters 1-7, 192.