God tells us in His Word that He loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).  Think about that for a second. God loves when we give cheerfully, rather than giving under compulsion or with reluctance. But how do we do that? Here are a few ideas.

1. Give in humility.

Humility enables us to realize that everything we have is a gift from God. Anything that we give to Him was already His in the first place. This includes our money, possessions, time, talents, and even our bodies. When we give to God, we are simply giving back what He has already given us for the purpose of helping others, building His kingdom, and glorifying Him.

2. Give with gratitude.

How can we possibly re-pay God for all that He has done for us in Christ? We can’t! Nor does He ask us to!  But one thing we can do is demonstrate our gratitude by our giving. He gave us everything- His own Son- to die for us. We literally owe Him our life, much less a tithe or offering. As recipients of such grace, we should always give with the purpose of expressing our thankfulness for his generosity toward us. And grateful hearts are cheerful hearts!

3. Give in faith.

Faith enables us to give with confident assurance that God is pleased with our gift and will continue to provide for our needs after we have given. The giver with little faith often gives with reluctance by doubting that his gift will make any difference and worrying if the sacrifice will be worth it if God does not continue to provide.

4. Give with expectation.

Giving with expectation is directly connected to giving in faith. When we give, we should expect God to take our gift and use it to bring Him glory, build His kingdom, and bless others. Many people give reluctantly, doubting whether the ministry or person receiving the gift will be responsible enough to use it wisely. While some caution should be exercised, we should not allow this to limit our giving. We aren’t called to audit every church or organization we give to. We should follow God’s leading and give with the expectation that He will use it as He pleases.

5. Give as worship.

Giving is not simply a matter of building God’s resources. The entire universe is God’s. He doesn’t need us to give back to Him the resources that He has given us. But He wants us to. Why? Because He wants us to worship Him rather than money or anything money can buy. He wants us to be dependent on Him, and being willing to give back to God reinforces this dependence. Thus, giving becomes an act of worship where we acknowledge God as the giver of all things, demonstrate our trust in His continual provision and care, and partner with Him in bringing about His kingdom on earth.

6. Give in quietness.

We are often robbed from the joy of giving when we make it about us rather than about God. When we give as a means to highlight our generosity, we take God’s resources and use them as a means of glorifying ourselves. This leaves us feeling empty and discontent for two reasons. First, because the praise of people will never satisfy us. Second, because we will have disconnected giving from its purpose as an act of worship toward God. So give quietly; don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing (Matthew 6:3). Those who do will become cheerful givers. They will even begin to enjoy giving without anyone knowing but them and God!

7. Give for the reward.

In Matthew 6:3, Jesus tells His followers to give in secret, believing that “your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” What is this reward? It could be many things: the joy of worshipping God, seeing the fruit of your gift, growing in your dependence upon God, being freed from the love of money, more resources being entrusted to you, a specific reward in heaven, or many other things. In fact, it could be all of these things. Jesus does not specify the reward. He calls us to give in faith, trusting that however God rewards us, it will be more than worth it.

Cheerful giving is a discipline that all followers of Jesus should seek to cultivate. Which of these practices stands out the most to you? How can you become a more cheerful giver?