Having the right motivations makes all the difference in how we feel about giving to God. God wants our hearts in it with him. If our giving is all about him needing our stuff, then that would make him look bad, and it would make us feel resentful. God tells us, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”—Acts10:35. God wants us to experience more and more blessings as we continue giving to him. Since God owns everything, he doesn’t need our material gifts, Giving to God is about us. Where are our hearts in relationship to him?
When God has done so much for us: He sustains our every breath, he saves us from sin’s death, he gives us blessings every day. Why wouldn’t we be devoted to him, in love with him, and wanting to give him our time, talents, and means for his cause? The Apostle Paul says, “The love of Christ constrains us.”—2 Corinthians 5:14. Love always causes us to want to be generous towards God or others. So, if we love God so much, then our giving won’t seem like such a sacrifice.
There are two requirements for giving to God. 1) Our appreciative love for God – DEVOTION, and 2) a SPIRIT OF SACRIFICE. We may be wanting to give generously to God, but we may still feel a little expectation that our giving be used in only the way we would like to see it used. There is still a little bit of us in the gift, holding back something that we say is for God, but it’s not really for him completely, unless he uses it the way we expect. And if it isn’t used in the way we expect, then we’re going to take it back, or we’re going to stop giving to his projects anymore. A Spirit of Sacrifice is the second motivation for giving. It enables our love gifts to God to be given without strings attached. It also includes having a Spirit of Sacrifice, in which decisions for God’s project are mutually shared and agreed upon in unity, even though in our opinion some of the decisions may not be what we would have wanted. A Spirit of Sacrifice isn’t so much about how much we give, but it is about how we give. No-strings-attached-giving is truly the most unselfish and sacrificial kind of giving there is.
This is how God gave to us. He didn’t come and sacrifice himself for us on condition that we would love him back. He gave his life for us regardless of anyone ever responding to his generous gift. He gave himself anyway. I am so thankful that God loves us unconditionally. I pray that you and I will be able to respond to his invitation to give back to him generously (DEVOTION) and unselfishly (with a SPIRIT OF SACRIFICE). And we will receive that highest blessing of participating with him in the work of saving others for his kingdom.
-Pastor Ben Moor