Freely or Grudgingly

When we share, do we do it freely or grudgingly? When we donate to help the schools, do we do it freely or grudgingly? When we agree to help a neighbor, do we do it freely or grudgingly? When we return a portion of God’s blessing to his church, do we do it grudgingly or freely?

We all share or contribute or donate to a wide variety of causes. If we are a miserly person, we likely do so grudgingly. If we are very giving person, we likely do so freely. Most of us fall somewhere in between.

We have our favorite organizations we donate to. Or we have organizations we feel obligated to donate to. Perhaps we have children or grandchildren in school and feel obligated to donate to their band, arts project, or sports team. We might belong to a club of some sorts and there are dues to be paid, but we go above and beyond to donate toward other projects. How do we feel about donating to the church? Perhaps we feel obliged to donate there, too.

But Paul tells the Corinthians in today’s passage that it is better to give generously (freely) than to give grudgingly. He believed it so much that he sent people ahead of him to prepare the people to give generously. God wants us to give freely. He doesn’t want us to give grudgingly. But he does want us to give.

It all boils down to trusting God, loving God, and changing our attitude. When we fully trust God and truly love God, we give according to his will. When we trust and love God, our attitude will naturally change to match his.  When we know in our heart of hearts that God will never leave us, we give to him our entire being.

I pray we learn to trust God with our entire being. I pray we learn to love God with our whole heart. I pray each one of us has an attitude that matches God’s. Donate freely. Contribute to God’s work. Trust God fully. Love God with your whole heart. Have the attitude of God.

2 Corinthians 9:5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.