Daily Devotion 11/21/18

2 Corinthians 8:7 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

Did you know that sometimes God doesn’t want you to give? Sometimes we can think that God just wants conformity. We can think that all he wants is for me to drop my offering into the collection plate and that’s all he cares about. Nothing could be further from the truth. God doesn’t want you to give if you’re guilt-ed into it. If you feel pressure to give and you’re giving to appease your pastor, parents, or church family, God doesn’t want it. If you give from an attitude of “have to”, God doesn’t want you to give. If you sit down to write out that check and all you’re thinking about is how you have to do this, God doesn’t want it. God wants you to give cheerfully. He wants you to give because you want to give. He wants you to give from a heart that looks at giving as a “get to.” I get to give! Why would anyone have that thought process about giving? Because my God has given me so much. Because my God is beyond generous to me. He is constantly giving to me, and this is the way I can worship and thank him. I can be generous so that other people can have. Whether that be physical needs or spiritual needs. My God has taken care of all of my needs, so I cheerfully give back to him.

Thank you, Lord, for taking care of all my needs. Motivate me to have a heart that looks at giving as a cheerful thing. Let me see it as a “get to” and not a “have to.” Amen.