Today's Scripture: But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. ⁷ 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 9:6-7

During the early years of the Quentin Road Baptist Church, we had many visitors come and go. One gentleman would visit for a few weeks around the same time each year, and then we wouldn’t see him again for another year. It turned out that he would visit our church when his church was doing their annual sermons on giving because he could not stand to hear preaching on this subject.

Giving and tithing are often touchy subjects, but they shouldn’t be. Dr. Clovis G. Chappell once said, “I’ve never felt any hesitation in speaking to my congregation about money. I thrill to it. I revel in it. I love to see the liberal enjoy it, and I love to see the stingy suffer.”

Giving in the offering is not just about balancing the church budget or meeting the financial needs of the church. Giving is about allowing the giver to exercise faith and be blessed of God. It has been said that giving is not God’s way of growing the church, but rather it is His way of growing His children.

When it comes to giving, you can either be a cheerful giver or a stingy squirmer. The word “cheerful” in our passage today has the idea of “hilarious” – someone who finds great joy and excitement in giving to the Lord. When it comes time for the offering, do you get excited about what God will do with your generosity, or do you look everywhere but the preacher, and hope the moment passes quickly?

If you are not a giver, ask God to help you change this attitude. You are missing out on many great blessings that God has in store for you.