2 Corinthians 8:12

2 Corinthians 8:12 – For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

           Have you ever been in a church or a meeting where have been coerced into giving? You are listening to the speaker and they are doing an excellent job presenting the Word of God, but then they move into the area of Offerings. All of a sudden it feels like you are in a sales seminar and this person is the top seller. There are scriptures used to back their point and all of a sudden you are giving out of guilt as opposed to desire. This is wrong. In this scenario people end up giving out of what they need to survive.

           We are told not to give out of our necessity and also that we are to give what we have decided in our hearts beforehand to give, not out of compulsion, because God Loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). Anytime I am in a meeting where someone is trying to convince me to give, I just put my wallet away. If they can’t trust God and have to rely on compulsion to make a living, then they need to look at their own heart on the matter.

I tithe because God tells me in His Word to tithe, and I give what I can above that as I feel led. In the Word we see that we are to give to those less fortunate than us. Most of the time it will be out of our abundance, but there are some times when God tells you to give out of your necessity. When He does this, though, you can know that He will provide for your other needs. Don’t let man tell you to give what you need to pay your bills; that man hasn’t promised to provide for you, only God can do that.

In reality it is not amount of the gift, or even that you gave anything at all. What God looks at is the willingness behind it. God does not need your money, nor does He even want it if all you are doing is giving because you feel you have to. Proverbs says that “a generous man will himself be blessed.” God wants you to be generous and Love giving. That is what will be rewarded. He wants to know that you value Him more than money.

           If you only have a dollar to give, give that dollar; if you have more, give more. God will bless you based on your heart. If your heart is in it, then He will be also.