Big Hearted: Are You Giving Happily or Hesitantly?

Every Christian is called to give – of our money, our time, our talents – but how often do we give just because we feel we should? We resent the sacrifice of things we could enjoy ourselves, and the biblical idea of giving cheerfully seems almost impossible. Or we give because we know that it will make us feel good. Or because we want other people to think well of us. But this is not godly giving.

The motivation behind our giving is important. Giving, like everything else in the Christian life, begins with the two greatest commandments – to love the Lord our God with everything we have, and to love our neighbour as ourselves. Our cheerful, outrageous and extravagant generosity begins with unreservedly loving the God who has freely given us all things.