Give Cheerfully
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV
It’s simple: God loves a cheerful giver; but do we love to give? This verse even points out that we shouldn’t give reluctantly or because we feel pressured to do so; rather it should be done cheerfully.
Martin Luther was quoted as saying, “People go through three conversions: The conversion of their head, their heart, and their pocketbook. Unfortunately, not all at the same time.”
Admittedly this is an area I’m currently struggling with. Throughout my Christian life, I’ve gone through long periods of faithful tithing, long periods of not giving at all, and everything in between. In fact if someone were to go back in time and just examine the percentage of my gross income I gave away, that would be a good indication of my perceived closeness to God at the time. This isn’t the case for everyone, but it’d be true for me.
Currently I feel as though my giving is in a good place, and I hope to give more next year. However, even though I’ve given away the highest percentage of my income (ever) this year; I don’t think cheerful would be the right word to use. At the same time I wouldn’t describe my giving as reluctant or under compulsion; more so an act of faith. I’ve also noticed that I tend to not have the right attitude when I’m asked to give to those in need unexpectedly (i.e. family or friends).
Hopefully you’re doing much better than me in this area!! If not, let’s do a better job trusting God by giving cheerfully.