Why I Give
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.”
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 2 Corinthians 9:6-11
I can’t even begin to count how many sermons, talks, and public lashings I have heard on giving, mostly centered around giving money. And we should give; and give abundantly. But I believe that the more important principle to focus on is “why” we give, more so than “what” we give.
Many years ago, I decided that I would become less of a traditionalist when it came to giving. To me, giving was so important, I didn’t want to see it become “just another thing that I do”. So, I got creative. I decided to try and tithe my time and see what happened. I dedicated myself to the strategic positioning my time; focusing on a few organizations and projects that my family decided we would give to. It has been nothing short of an amazing experience; completely life altering.
I decided to give cheerfully of my time, and God turned it into resources for the organizations. I decided to stop giving to charity for the sake of giving and to start giving because He is Charity. Because of this, hundreds of thousands of dollars was raised for those organizations. The Kingdom was expanded and sustained, which is the purpose of the tithe; the expansion and sustainability of the Kingdom. 2 Corinthians says “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” I had decided in my heart what I was going to give, and I gave of it cheerfully.
Now, that’s not to say that we don’t give financially from our own income, because we do. We give cheerfully, and it is well above the technical 10% that we are told we are supposed to give. But we don’t give out of compulsion, just like the scripture teaches. We try to give cheerfully as much as we can.
I love to read. I read alot. When I was in high school, I don’t think that I read one book that I was supposed to read; because someone told me that I had to do it. But I very cheerfully read those books in my spare time, because they were great books. I just don’t respond well to people telling me I have to do something, because, in their opinion, it is important. I didn’t want to read out of obligation; I wanted to read because I had the privilege of gaining knowledge from people smarter than I am.
I want to do everything in my life passionately and without a hint of “well, I’ll do it because I’m supposed to.”
I want to give because I get to, not because I have to. I want to give because He gave. I don’t want to give out of compulsion and obligation, I want to give out of a cheerful heart.
I guess that is why I am so turned off by people who tell me I have to do something; because I truly want everything I do to be out of a passion to give of myself, for the glory of the Father and for the expansion of the Kingdom. Some call me rebellious, and that’s fine. I would rather be a rebel than a cold so-called follower of Jesus. I would rather embrace who God called me to be and enjoy Him than get entangled in the snare of religiosity. I would rather give cheerfully than out of obligation.
So, why do I give? I give because I get to; I give, not for the sake of charity, but because He is Charity. And I will continue to dream of fresh and creative ways to give so that I do not become stagnate and so that I will continue to grow as a follower of the Most High.
Comments