Give!

Give!

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:7 KJV

The art of giving is slowly dying. We seem to set more store by the image of us giving than on the heart with which we give. We make a song and dance about charity, which itself is good, but how much of our hearts is in what we do? We do it to satisfy a guilty conscience sometimes, while at other times, we do it to be popular. Today's extract seeks to lay out the right heart with which I must give, so that both my life and its offering will be acceptable before God and bring blessings back to me in return. 

There is a place for preparation before giving. It is not something I do simply because I am told to do it, but because I have examined my heart and I am sure and certain of what I need to do. Too many times, we seek human applause and we miss all that God wants us to have. We settle for the mediocre when we can have the miraculous. The heart is that very important place, where all of God's dealings must happen, before my life then lives out all that my heart has processed. How is my heart then? 

Why is giving so important to God? Could it be it is because giving is a sign that I know nothing I hold actually belongs to me. All that I see and touch are given to me in trust, on a temporary basis for use while on earth. There is nothing the earth gives you that it will not take back when it is time to leave. You can exercise some bit of control over some things only while you are alive. As soon as the owner of your life makes the demand, all that you hold becomes another person's. In that understanding, I must be careful to view possessions in the right way. They are tools to be used to glorify God, not to replace him. I must know and understand the place and limits of all the earth gives, so that my heart is free of unnecessary attachments.

When I understand the place and limits of things, then my heart is in the right place. If I give out of a sense of necessity, or out of a heart that holds grudges, there is no blessing attached to whatever that heart gives. The unfortunate thing is that the earth will receive what is given and maybe applaud, but heaven has no record of what has been given. Once again, the earth will only give you what it has; it cannot guarantee that which it does not have or what it did not originate or inspire. God loves the person who gives from the correct heart, because that heart is under his control. That heart knows the correct place and position of all things, holds nothing above God and brings all things to the feet of the real owner - God. How would God not love and bless such a person? 

I do not see where the exact nature of the reward for giving in this way is clearly spelt out, but as I read the verse after today's extract, what can beat the all-sufficient grace of God? God's grace is released in all its fullness, and all that I need is provided, so that I can in turn do every good work as ordained by God. I see very clearly that God needs a heart that he can control to carry out his work. Is my heart the type that God can call on at any time? Does he own and hold my heart? Does he control its offerings and services? It is very important that I sort this out now, so that I can be a vessel of honour in the hands of God, and he can use me to impact the earth as he sees fit. God's time of favour is here.