The Kind of Giver God Loves (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)
- Candice Watters
- 12 hours ago
- 4 min read
...whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. —2 Corinthians 9:6-7
I’ve heard verses like this passage in 2 Corinthians used at ministry fundraising dinners to motivate people to give generously. At one such dinner, the speaker gave a rousing call to “get out your checkbooks.” Drawing a line from Haggai 1:6, “he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes,” he urged the audience not to neglect the work of ministry—the equivalent of storing their wages in purses with holes. He said he knew that many people in the audience could write large checks. Then he said, “whatever you decided to give before you came tonight, I want you to double it. Or better yet, add a zero.” He was a persuasive, effective fundraiser, and raising funds for worthy causes is a good thing. But this is not the way God calls us to give.
The emphasis in our passage is on the kind of giver God loves—the motivation behind the gift—not the amount. Yes, it notes that the sparing sower will reap a smaller harvest than the generous one. This is a principle at work in creation and is generally true. More seed in the ground generally produces more fruit and flowers. But Proverbs 13:23 is also true, “The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food, but it is swept away through injustice.” Because of the curse, the seed we sow also yields thorns and thistles. I see this at work every year around this time when my tomato plants yield more leaves and weeds than luscious fruit. No matter how many plants I put in the ground, I’ve yet to have more tomatoes than I know what to do with.
These verses are not about a 1-to-1 yield on investment. Because of the curse, they are not a guarantee of return but a principle of spiritual multiplication. The emphasis is on the attitude of the sower and the giver. It doesn’t say God loves based on the amount of the gift. There will always be some who can give large amounts, and others who never can. This is not a sermon on the amount. Paul is telling us that God loves a certain posture toward giving–whatever the amount. God is after a heart attitude.
While in the temple, Jesus called his disciples’ attention to the poor widow who gave only a penny into the offering box. She who gave “all she had to live on” must have felt like her purse was riddled with holes. And yet Jesus said she “put in more” than all the others, including the “many rich people [who] put in large sums” (Mark 12:41-44). How could a penny be more than a large sum? It comes down to the heart of the giver. Gifts made from excess don’t require faith. The way she gave left her with no option other than trusting God to supply her needs. The worth of her gift was about the quality of her heart, not the quantity of her gift.
This is why Paul says, “God loves a cheerful giver.”
Giving so much that you can’t buy lattes, or keep your streaming service, or update your wardrobe or car is good. But giving so much that you can’t buy enough groceries to last the week, or get a pair of shoes for your growing child, or pay the light bill is not. Paul said of such a person, if he “does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8).
Isn’t it remarkable that God asks us to give to him what we have “decided in our hearts”? He is not a tyrant. He is a loving, generous, Father. Even though everything we have is from Him and He owns and deserves to receive it all (Psalm 50:10, Romans 11:36, Acts 17:25), He delegates stewarding our resources to us, and gives us genuine authority to decide how much of it to give back to Him. There is no coercion. It is all of love, and He wants us to do it gladly.
God’s ways are not our ways. His ways are higher, better, life-giving ways. He knows the danger money poses to our hearts, and so He directs His commands to give, not to our bank account, but to our heart—the source of our affections, desires, and worship. To give obediently, cheerfully, back to our generous Giver is to receive protection from pride over what we’ve accumulated, greed to get more, and fear that we won’t have enough. It is a gift from God to get to decide how much we will give, based on our circumstances (how much we have, how much we need to provide for our families, and what we can cut in order to give more), and then to give from the heart, cheerfully making the gift back to Him.
Cheerful giving is not an act of unthinking emotionalism—it is a decision in the heart, not of the heart. Cheerful giving gives the amount you’ve decided with your mind, gladly. Stingy sowing will be discontent whatever the size of the harvest, and even more sour if the crop fails. But glad giving, as unto the Lord, knowing that this is what God loves, will be blessed with growth in godliness and deepening trust in God—even if the tangible results are disappointing. Whether we give large or small, when we give cheerfully, we have hope that we will reap a spiritual bounty.
For Reflection
What is your first thought when your church or ministries you support ask you to give?
Does knowing that God gives us the responsibility to make a decision, with wisdom, change how you feel about being asked?
Pray and ask the Lord to cause your heart to give gladly, cheerfully, and to increase a harvest of righteousness in your life, whether your gifts are large or small.
Candice Watters is the editor of Fighter Verses and contributor to Truth78's webinars. She and her husband, Steve, lead the VBS ministry for their church in Louisville, KY. They are the co-authors of Start Your Family: Inspiration for Having Babies. They have three sons, one daughter, and one daughter-in-law.
