Giving Generously

2 Corinthians 9: 6-9

Remember this:  Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.  Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to make all grace abound to you so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.  As it is written:  He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.

I chose this scripture due to the challenge my husband recently bestowed upon me when were were arguing over how much we should tithe to our church.  I feel we are not doing enough and my husband thinks we are doing what we can.  The argument is that I feel that although we are doing what we can (sometimes) we can still do better.  The argument went back and forth as if we were battling of the sexes.  There was no agreement, valid points from both sides and frustration because there was no hard facts given in our conversation.  It was just opinion.  He asked me to show him in the Bible where it says what we should tithe.  That stopped me in my tracks only because I know that fact is in there, I just didn't know where.  How am I supposed to argue without facts I felt so strongly about?

morguefile.com/alvimann

So I found it.  This scripture doesn't come right out and say a specific amount, rather, give what you can and be cheerful about it.  I do believe that the more we are able to give, the more we can do for God to do for us.  Afterall, He has given us this beautiful earth, a warm home, cars to drive, food in our cabinets, clothes on our backs and the list goes on and on and on and on.   There are times I reach into my purse and have nothing to give.  I try to make a promise to make up for it the following Sunday, all to fail again.  There are Sundays when I can give a lot and some that I have given only coins.  No matter what I'm able to do, I do it with a cheerful heart.  I've even given up my last few dollars that I was planning on treating myself to a special coffee, but found a better caffeine high when I placed it in the offering plate instead.  It's the little sacrifices that we humans can make such a big deal over that don't have to be a big deal to begin with.

The next time you go to church and consider those last few dollars in your wallet, consider what God may do for you when you give it with a cheerful heart.