Cheerful Giving

“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” – 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 (ESV)

There are those of us that love to give, and those of us who are weary to give to anyone. We choose who and where we give our time and resources to, and often place a gauge of value on how much it is worth to give. There is a biblical principle to giving though – that we are gracious in our giving as God has been gracious to us. But why are we so afraid to give? why are we so skeptic and critical in the way we give to the church and to those who are more in need than we are?

Fear – some of us have grown up without the luxuries of having a measurable abundance. We’ve faced financial difficulties or have witnessed our parents or families go through hard times. Some of us may have experienced someone take advantage of you because you had money, thus now you are much more careful in who and where you give your time and money.

Compulsion – some of us give out of guilt. We feel guilty as if there would be bad karma if we don’t give to the poor or those who are in much more need than we are. It is rather out of pity and a sense of obligation because of pressure.

Either reason is ungodly. The greatest reason as Christians we are compelled to give to those who are in need and that we also give to the Lord in our tithings is that it comes from a heart of gratitude and joy. It is a matter of the heart, and it is a matter that comes from an overflowing satisfaction that Christ is enough for us – that money, time, energy and material things become what we are stewards of, not what we own.

The major point today is, generosity comes from the heart. That we are satisfied with knowing Christ and the love He has for us, and in nothing else. We are generous to those around us, and to the church because we love God, and we love his people.

“When Jesus fed five thousand people with only five loaves of bread and two fish, he was showing us how God’s love can multiply the effects of our generosity. God’s kingdom is the place of abundance where every generous act overflows its original bounds and becomes part of the unbounded grace of God at work in the world. ” – Henri J. M. Nouwen