2 Corinthians 9:6-8
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
Why do we always associate this verse with money? Possibly because that was the original context of the verse. However, if God is blessed by us cheerfully giving of our resources, how much more will he be blessed by us cheerfully giving of our own lives? Not reluctantly, or under compulsion, but cheerfully given out of an overflow of genuine love towards God. Samuel Chadwic hit the mark when he said, “A gift without a heart behind it is a bribe. God asks for our heart, not our gifts.” How true! God has always been more interested in the heart motive more than the perceived value of the gift given.
How often do we miss the mark when we try to lay down our lives for God? In Romans 12:1&2, we are commanded to “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship.” As a result, we try to knuckle down and perform what we feel God is requiring, only to end up feeling frustrated at our inability to meet the standard God seems to have set. After all, how can we give anything less than our all for the One who so willingly gave His all for us? We miss the mark because we misunderstand two things about this verse.
Firstly, God will never require us to do something we are incapable of doing. To think that he would set a standard we cannot meet, and then stand in judgement of our failure, is to imply that he is an unrighteous God. Secondly, we assume that the word sacrifice implies that God has asked for something we are unwilling to give. After all, if it were willingly given, we feel it would not have been a sacrifice to begin with. What a faulty understanding we have! When we assume God is after the very thing we want to hold onto, we reduce him to the level of a common thief. I assure you, God will never take our lives from us. It is something we must freely offer to Him. After all, He loves a cheerful giver.
