Show me the money?

2 Corinthians 9:7
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.

Each morning when I wake up I have decisions to make. I have to decide to get out of bed. I have to decide to take a shower, to make breakfast, to feed the dog, and to watch tv. It’s true that on some mornings I even have to make the choice and decide to show love to my family. Some of these things I do reluctantly, some out of compulsion, but some I do with a cheerful heart.

For various reasons, it has long been misunderstood that this passage of the Bible is all about money. Nowhere in traditional translations of 2 Corinthians 9 is there any mention of money, yet our church culture associates this verse only with tithing and financial surrender. If we were to just read for once with our eyes opened, we could see the message clear as day in the printed Word.

Two thousand years ago Jesus Christ walked on the face of this earth. 100% God and 100% man, He chose to leave His throne in Heaven and rescue us. Because He was there at the formation of time, He knew exactly how He was going to redeem us. He knew of the pain, the suffering, and the humiliation that He was going to face on the cross. He knew of the rejection by His own people, yet He came. He knew that 2000 years later people would continue to see His work and still reject His Kingship.

In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed to the Father. He asked that if there were another way the cup would pass Him by, but He surrendered to the will of the Father. Jesus Christ decided in His heart to give, not reluctantly or out of compulsion, but out of love. His heart is love and His love is sacrifice. Because of His “cheerful giving” Jesus Christ has been exalted above all of creation, because God does love a cheerful giver.

Whatever you have to give, give it all as if you’re giving it to God. Your gifts are for the glorification of God. Give cheerfully of your talent, time, spirit, and knowledge to the people around you so that they might see the ultimate seed that Christ sowed on the Cross through your witness.