“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
~1 Corinthians 9:7
God loves a cheerful giver, but you don’t buy God’s blessings with money. Don’t ever think that you can buy God’s blessings with money.
However, understand this: The use of money demonstrates value. Therein lies the power of cheerful generosity. You reveal your value for something by how much you invest in that thing. So through your giving, you are actually expressing your value for God. It is important that you get this.
When you give generously to God, you’re not buying His blessing; but you’re giving him a signal that you prefer Him. God through your giving x-rays your heart to know whether you prefer Him or something else. Cheerful generosity is a way of saying to God, “This is where my heart is.”
So while it is true that you can’t buy God’s blessing with money, it is also true that you can send a signal to God concerning how much you value him. And that signal triggers a response from God. When you send a signal to God through cheerful generosity — that He is the first in your life, you prefer Him, He is valuable to you — God will respond to that.
God’s word says:
“To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.”
~Psalm 18:25-26
“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
~Matthew 6:14-15
The things you do here send signals to God that then create a response from God.
It’s in that way that your money reveals your value. This is why gifts are very powerful. This is why somebody can give you a gift worth thousands of dollars, and it instantly alters your attitude towards the person. It’s not necessarily the gift; it is knowing that this person values you. That’s the point being made here. You might be so rich that you don’t even need such a gift. But the fact that the person gave you a gift alters your disposition, and particularly when you know that it cost the person a lot to get that gift. Maybe the giver of the gift doesn’t even have so much, but now he spends thousands of dollars just to get you a gift. It alters your attitude towards him, your disposition changes. Consequently, because you now think that he has value for you, you will see him as someone to invest in. You will see him as someone valuable.
Regrettably, a lot of Christians send signals to God that they’re pigs by the way they use money. They are God’s children alright, but the manner in which they treat money sends terrible signals to God. And Jesus said that you don’t cast your pearls before swine.
“Do not give to dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.”
~Matthew 7:6
The way you use your money can send a signal to God that you’re a swine. And while you will have so much in your life, you’ll find it difficult to get those things that come through God’s favour.
Take out time to meditate on this principle of cheerful generosity, and make the necessary adjustments in your relationship with God.
Memory Verse:
1 Corinthians9:7
“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for opening my eyes to the power of cheerful generosity. Give me a heart that truly values You, and may I express that value through cheerful giving, in Jesus’ name.
Amen.