Last year Peggy surprised me with a gift of a leather coat. It is beautiful – soft and warm, and quite stylish. I truly treasure that gift. (It was actually two years ago, but who's counting, right? LOL)
When I completed my schooling a few weeks ago my children gave me a card with brief messages from each of them. It is a beautiful card, and I treasure it very much.
One gift was very expensive and one was only a few dollars. One gift required some planning and effort; the other gift required some effort but not as much. Yet I value them both because they both came from the heart and were given in love.
We saw Paul teaching about the generosity and eagerness of the people in Macedonia in 2 Corinthians 8:1-5. Now what does he tell the Corinthian church, and us, about presenting gifts?
When it comes to giving there are all different attitudes and approaches to it. There are some very wealthy people who are stingy in their giving, limiting their gifts to God to a tiny amount. There are others who give a great deal because they have a great deal.
There are some who feel they do not have enough in life to spare anything for anyone. They claim they just can’t afford to give to God. Yet others give generously in spite of their poverty.
How does God feel about all this? Does he have a calculator where he adds up what is given? Is he pleased when He sees the big money rolling in?
Obviously, the answer to this is “no,” and I certainly hope you knew that. It isn’t the amount of money that is given. It isn’t the size of the gift that counts. What matters to God is the intention of the gift. What is important is the heart behind the offering – the “willingness” of the giver.
I believe even those who tithe or give beyond the tithe are not always blessed if the intention of the tithing, the heart of the offering, is misguided or missing. Our expressions of thankfulness, our desire to present offerings of fellowship and gratitude, need to come from a true and earnest desire to honor God and share in love. When our heart is true and generous we are blessed and the gift is precious, made valuable by our intentions and not by cost.
DAILY CHALLENGE: What is your willingness to give to God? Perhaps you can determine a monetary value to your gratitude as well as a list of actions you can do to honor God.
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