Recapturing Cheerful Giving
Excerpt from What the Bible Actually Says About Money
“Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
You know this verse—“God loves a cheerful giver.” In the Greek, cheerful is hilaros—hilarious in English. But here’s the reality: Though most believers are not joyless givers, they’re not joyful givers either. Their giving brings them the same joy as paying a parking fine.
And with electronic giving replacing the offering basket or writing checks, givers become emotionally detached—they can’t remember what or whom they support. And if one spouse handles the finances, it’s even worse. They are not joyless—just neutral.
How can we recapture the joy of cheerful giving? Insert these guidelines from today’s passage into your giving practices.
Purposed in his heart implies choosing deliberately—the decision is yours. In his heart reveals that giving decisions ought not to be purely academic. When God commanded Israel to build a tabernacle in the desert, He said: “Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him.” (Exodus 25:2).
Recently, I “felt” I should send $40 to a friend whose wife had just been diagnosed with cancer. This $40 was above and beyond our giving plan—a decision of the heart. “Go out for lunch,” I said in my note. They loved it, and I loved doing it. I was joyful!
Not grudgingly. The Greek ek lupe means “out of sorrow”— reluctantly. Giving reluctantly is like having a tearful bon voyage party for your dollars when you pull them out of your wallet, saying regretfully, “Goodbye old friends.”
Perhaps Paul was thinking of Deuteronomy 15:10, where the Jews were commanded to give to the poor: “Your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him.”
[Not] under compulsion. Many believers feel obligated to give a certain percentage of their income, but they give under compulsion.
Similarly, a generous believer was frustrated: “I get tons of appeals—missionaries needing support, the teen pregnancy center is building an addition, and Sunday at church. It’s never-ending.” Because he was generous, he got even more appeals, and he couldn’t say no. As a result, he supported many causes with token amounts. He felt obligated and was becoming resentful.
I told him, “You don’t have to give to every appeal. ‘No’ is a complete sentence.”
This is also a reminder for ministry leaders. Are you subtly coercing people to give? Saying things like, “Christians spend more on dog food than they give to missions.” Or, “You need to give back to the church after all the church has done for you.” And so on.
A missionary asked a giving partner to increase his support, saying apologetically, “You probably get ‘hit up’ a lot.” The partner said, “I don’t have a ton of money, but I love being asked. It shows me good things are going on for God. I feel free to say yes or no.”
Cheerful giving is captured in a classic story about British author Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881). When Carlyle was a boy, a beggar came to his house while his parents were gone:
“On a boyish impulse [Carlyle] broke into his own savings- bank and gave the beggar all that was in it, and he tells us that never before or since did he know such sheer happiness as came to him in that moment.”
How about you? What describes your giving?
• Joyless, resentful
• Feel obligated to give to every need—not sure why
• Neutral, detached
• Neglectful, don’t think about it much
• Guilty
• Cheerful
Theologically speaking, God loves resentful and neutral givers too, but wouldn’t you like to recapture the joy of giving like young Thomas Carlyle? Slow down and ask your heart: To what do I desire to give? To whom do I desire to give? What can I do to enjoy my giving?
This is an excerpt from WHAT THE BIBLE ACTUALLY SAYS ABOUT MONEY: 31 MEDITATIONS
It is said that the Bible has over 2000 verses about money, but does it say you are out of God's will if you are not wealthy? Most of us have strong opinions about money, but let's admit our opinions originated from parents, church or our common sense. Rarely do we study Bible verses on money. For your spiritual growth, you owe it to yourself to take a few minutes each day for a month and discover first-hand what the Bible actually teaches about money. So let's start with 31verses--not 2000. Fasten your seatbelt and enjoy the ride!
You can purchase the book here.
