We know our God is a big God and at times our giving looks like it is not worthy enough. We have been told that “You are to give till it hurts. Until you provoke God, God will not step into your situation.” The bible did not say provoke me and you shall find me, it says you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart (Jeremiah 29:13). The heart is the heart of the matter.
The entirety of our lives and our relationship with God is a heart issue. This means that it is the attitude of our giving that is more important than the gift or the amount. Most people believe that it is their wallet that determines their giving. What really controls your giving is your heart. You can give big to the point that it hurts but without love, to God, it results to nothing. You can give out everything in your house and give to the poor but if you do not have love, it profits you nothing (1 Corinthians 13:3). You may be giving till you bleed but is the blood out of love?
Paul gave the foundation of all our giving’s in the new covenant. We are to give with a joyful heart and not a hurtful heart. He said this because he had an awesome revelation from God that he loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). God is happy when we give cheerfully. It is not the quantity that will cause God to answer you but rather the quality of your heart first. If you are giving cheerfully, you will give more than when you give out of being forced. There is a benefit in giving cheerfully. 2 Corinthians 9: 8 gives us the answer: “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”
Your joyous giving is a result of the revelation you have received from verse 8. That is God making all blessings move towards you. Even in verse 6, Paul talked about giving sparingly and giving abundantly. Those who give generously are cheerful givers and they shall have abundance. But those who give out of being forced, manipulated or being religious, they will give sparingly and receive sparingly.
Why should God allow us to decide how much to give? In choice there is love. A cheerful giver has seen the love of the father’s hand upon his life and is willing to give his all and even what God tells him to give as well. 1 Kings 3:3 says that: “And Solomon loved the Lord….” That is why he gave a thousand burnt offerings willingly. You will give abundantly when you love God. Now is so much easier in the new covenant we are in. When we see God’s abundant love on us, we will love him and give ourselves to him. That is how you became born again. You saw God’s sacrifice of love over you through his son Jesus and as a result, loved him back by giving your life to him. Giving your life to him means giving everything about you including your money. Whatever we do as believers are tied to our loving relationship with our father and not tied to people pleasing religious activities.
You have seen an earthly father who you know is evil, giving good gifts to their children, but our heavenly father gives much more than any father.
Matthew 7:11 (KJV)
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
He gives much more so we can give as well and in our giving be much more. Those who give sparingly are those who are conscious of their needs. They know is good to give and the need to give but they give based on the amount of arm twisting, manipulation and the problem at hand. Bountiful givers are those who are conscious of the priceless gift that is Jesus. See Christ in your giving and you will see all grace abounding towards you.
