“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under
compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” – 2 Corinthians 9:7
What does it mean to not just give, but to give cheerfully? It seems our natural compulsion is to
give out of pity, to give out of need, or even to give out of compassion. We desire to align
ourselves with causes and missions that align with our values. But what does it really mean to
give cheerfully?
Giving cheerfully begins with the understanding that we are stewards, not owners. To put it
more specifically, we don’t actually own anything that God has not already given us. Whether
it’s our talent, our time, our finances, or anything else that we believe is only ours, we have to
understand that we are given the freedom to do as we wish with what God has blessed us
with.
If we truly believe that we are only stewarding God’s Kingdom-centered gifts (whether it’s time,
money, or talents), then we should desire to be responsible with it. We can give cheerfully when
we don’t mistakenly believe that it was ours to begin with, whichever category your giving falls into.
When we tithe to our local church or mission, we trust that God can do amazing things with our
giving, and in turn, we gain a blessing and become less selfish. We begin to understand that
we don’t need to have a scarcity mentality (the belief that there are only so many resources and
we have to protect them). Instead, God desires for us to give cheerfully, recognizing that part of
our own spiritual formation is learning how to steward our gifts instead of trying to own them.
As you go about your week, pray about what resources you have to offer that you can give
cheerfully. Maybe it’s stewarding your time to reach out to someone and ask about how you
can pray for them. Maybe it’s using a gift God has allowed you to steward and sharing it with
someone else. The best things in life are always shared, never hoarded. Or maybe it’s
beginning to financially support the mission at Centerville Grace, recognizing that mission God
has given us begins with your generosity.
May we all become more cheerful givers.
-Pastor Dusty
