READING: 2 Corinthians 9:7
I look back on my early Christian walk, and I wish someone had talked to me about giving generously to God’s work. Pam and I have learned to do so over the years (I think. . .), but I confess that I saw the tithe as both the minimum and the maximum to give when I first started following Christ. I’m aware that many scholars debate whether the New Testament requires a financial tithe today, but that’s not my point—it is that I legalized my giving and missed an opportunity to give with glee. This text hardly described my giving: “Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:7).
Since then, I’ve spent a lot of time growing in this area and helping others do the same. Here are some practical steps to disciple others in giving:
- Do a Bible study about the generous nature of God.
- Study together what the Bible says about giving.
- Teach others how to budget well. It’s harder to give faithfully and generously when you have no overall budget.
- Help others not only to budget well, but also to spend wisely. Poor spending habits get in the way of giving to God.
- Work with your local church and denomination to get stories of how giving is changing lives. Particularly for today’s young generation, many people want to know that their giving is making a genuine difference.
- Challenge others to give sacrificially rather than simply giving out of their abundance. Teach them to give like the widow rather than like the rich in Jesus’ story (Luke 21:1-2).
- Encourage and equip others to write and send “thank you” notes. I’m convinced that genuine gratitude will lead to stronger giving.
PRAYER: “God, make me a cheerful giver, and help me to lead others to be the same.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Ezekiel 16-17, James 2
