Meet my cousin Tony. Tony grew up in Bogota, Columbia. We met and played together when we were about 10 years old but didn’t see each other again until about ten years ago. He now lives overseas but this is a recent picture of us in Houston.

Heart-felt Giving 

2 Corinthians 8, part two 

“Now brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord,” 8:1-3.  

When it comes to Christian giving, we can’t say ‘I checked the box for this year’ and now I can turn my brain off to giving. It’s not about hitting an annual amount or giving a set percentage. Paul gives the correct way to think about giving in verse 3ff.  

• First, give according to your ability. There is no percentage guideline but prayerfully use your common sense. Don’t rob your family of their basic needs in order to give to others. Don’t go into debt to give. Don’t over give and don’t under give. Every time my wife hands me the steaks to grill out, she says ‘don’t over-cook it…but don’t under-cook it either.’  So, I guess I’m saying the same thing. Seek the right balance. Give proportionately according to your ability.  
• Give joyfully from your heart, (or don’t give at all). Give when you are led to give by God and only if there is the desire and joy to give. If you are not giving, then you have other spiritual problems that go beyond giving. Giving is the outpouring result of a truly redeemed person. Paul says the Macedonians gave heartily because they “first gave themselves to the Lord,” verse 5. 
• Give sacrificially. Within your ability and without going in debt, give sacrificially. The amount and the percentage are a personal issue between you (and your spouse) and God. But Paul says, be willing to stretch and sacrifice.  
• Lastly, Paul says “give of your own accord.” Literally, be one who chooses his own course of action. Don’t judge others and don’t cave in to judgment from others. Giving is voluntary and according to God’s guidance. Prayerfully seek God’s guidance, discuss with your spouse and then follow your conscience.  

Remember the story of Zaccheus? He was a chief tax-collector at Jericho. The people hated him because he was a greedy, rich extortionist. Jesus walked up to him and said He was coming to his house. Zaccheus gladly received him and after speaking with Jesus, Zaccheus stated, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” Isn’t it interesting that his immediate and first response to Jesus was a complete change of heart regarding money? Jesus replied to Zaccheus, “Today, salvation has come to this house.” The act of giving didn’t bring salvation to Zaccheus, but the result of being saved was an immediate change of heart regarding money. Christians give! To us, it should be as natural as breathing. If you don’t have a giving heart then you have a deeper spiritual issue to grapple with then simply your giving.  

Prayer 

Lord, the real issue here is walking in the Spirit daily. Remove our law-based concept of giving that is stuck on a set percentage and tied to our annual calendars. Our prayer is that you would lead us and help us to walk in the Spirit DAILY! As we live close to You, our hearts will open up in gladness and we will give. We will give and we will give and we will give. The beauty of it all is that as we give, You bless. You bless us abundantly with joy and with plenty more to give so that we can give more. In our blessings from You, we can bless others. May we cherish the words of Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Amen.