“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” – 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV)
Imagine a loving father who sees his child on the verge of harm or injury. Would he hold back from helping just because his child didn’t bring home a gift or achieve the desired result? Of course not! In the same way, it’s a mistake to think of God as a vindictive ruler who punishes us if we don’t give.
To truly understand giving to God, we must first know without a doubt that He is a loving Father who has already blessed us abundantly. We give, not to earn His blessings, but to acknowledge that every good and perfect gift comes from Him (James 1:17).
God is not a harsh judge waiting to punish us for failing to give. Instead, as a loving Father who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us, He is generous and willing to give us all things freely (Romans 8:32).
With this understanding, what does the Bible really teach about giving, and why should we give?
In the Old Testament, tithing was instituted to show God, with a tenth of their possessions, that He owned all of their possession; the essence of this still holds today. Our worship is evident in our generosity towards the work and people of God. It must be clear that we acknowledge that God gave and owns everything that we are and have.
We are expected to be faithful stewards of all that God has freely given to us for His purpose. If we believe that God delivered us from darkness and translated us into light then we owe Him our lives. There’s no way we will believe in the gospel, and it won’t show in our generosity (2 Cor 9:12 -13).
Another thing to note is that we are admonished to give freely, as we purpose in our hearts, and not grudgingly (2 Cor 9:7). This means that giving must be from our hearts and we should be delighted to do it. However, the fact that it is done freely doesn’t mean that it cannot be dutiful or done consistently (1 Cor 16:1-2). You can put a structure to your giving even as you also respond to the promptings of your heart to give.
Dear believer, you should love to give to God. Your giving is not limited to money but includes giving your time, skills, resources, and gifts to serve God and His people. All we have comes from God so giving to God is a way we express honour and worship Him; give freely.
Bible Reading Plan: Jude