4 Things You Must Do Every Time You Give - The Crosswalk Devotional - June 21

4 Things You Must Do Every Time You Give
By Clarence L. Haynes Jr.

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” - 2 Corinthians 9:6-7

I went to a church of a man who carries the title of prophet. A friend of mine invited me. During the service, he asked ten people in the congregation to make a $1000 vow. He said something to the effect that the Lord told him there were ten people in the room tonight who needed to make this $1000 vow, and if you are one of those ten, please stand up. After making this statement, only four people stood up. This did not please “the prophet,” so he repeated his declaration that ten people here needed to do this. As he waited for more people to stand, I believe only one more stood up, so now five people were standing. You could see this disturbed him, but he remained determined to get to his number of ten people. After a few moments of waiting, no one else stood up, so he made this statement, and I am paraphrasing it. “I know there are ten people in here who need to give $1000 tonight. You know who you are. Don’t let me get a word of knowledge and call you out.” After making this statement, five more people stood up, and he had his ten people. After seeing this disgusting display of manipulation, I left that church and never returned.

The Problem with the Approach
The problem here is obvious. This type of manipulation violates all the heart and spirit of giving. By the way, if you ever see something like that in your church, don’t wait until the service's end. Run and run quickly. Giving is an important part of our lives as Christians, but it is not just about how much we give but the heart we do it with. As you think about your giving today, please remember these four things about the attitude of giving and make sure they are present in every gift you give.

4 Things you must do every time you give:
1. Give generously… Whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

Paul encourages us to be generous. How you define generosity will differ for every person, but generosity speaks to the person's attitude and not the size of the gift. People can write what for many is a big check and still not be generous. The word generous means to be ready to give more than expected or necessary. Based on that definition, giving has nothing to do with the amount and everything to do with the attitude.

2. Give confidently… Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give.
Giving is a choice you make. Some would say giving is an act of obedience, and it is, but since obedience is a choice, so is giving. The most important aspect of giving is that you decide what to give. You should come to this decision prayerfully so that when you give, you do it confidently because you are giving as God directs you to give.

3. Give willingly… not reluctantly or under compulsion.
You should never give a penny when you feel manipulated or pressured to give. Sadly, it is not the only church that uses tactics like these to get people to give. If you feel pressured to give or if they promise you some great blessing if you give to a particular ministry (usually their own or one of their friends), that is a compulsion. You should never give in that environment. If you are not sure if God is leading you to give or if you feel pressure at the moment, then wait. Leave the service and ask God, is this what you want me to do? If God leads you to give, you can always do it after the service. He will let you know if this is what he wants you to do. This way, if you decide to give, you will know you are doing it willingly and are following God’s direction and not under compulsion.

4. Give cheerfully… for God loves a cheerful giver.
You should always feel excited when you are giving. This excitement comes when you think about the ministry you are helping or just the fact you are helping the church continue to do the work God has called them to do. All of this is exciting; you should sense that as you give. If you feel as if you just got swindled, robbed, or cajoled into giving, or if your excitement in giving is because you are thinking about the harvest you will receive, these are not the reasons for giving. In these cases, it would be better for you not to give.

Intersecting faith and life:
I pray you would give to the work of the Lord and to other causes that are important to you. In doing so, just do it with the right heart, and you will experience genuine joy in giving. If you give with the right heart, then it becomes something you want to do, not something you must do.

Further Reading

Clarence L. Haynes Jr. is a speaker, Bible teacher, and co-founder of The Bible Study Club. He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose which will help you understand how God leads you into his will. His most recent book is The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. This book will teach you how to put the pieces together so you can live a victorious Christian life and finally become the man or woman of God that you truly desire to be. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has just released his first Bible study course called Bible Study Basics. To learn more about his ministry please visit clarencehaynes.com.