None of us like to be guilted into giving to a fundraiser. Yet we see it all the time. Think about the commercial in which they use the saddest looking dogs to convince us to donate to help these animals. Or think about the commercial that uses children who are nothing but skin and bone, asking for donations to feed them. They play on our guilt.

            Unfortunately, many churches have done the same thing, whether a small local church or the mega-church on television. They use guilt. But that is not what Jesus had in mind nor the Apostle Paul. Please understand, I am not saying we should not contribute the church. In fact, I am going to encourage you to give even more, but not by using guilt.

            Within the four gospels, Jesus references money or possessions in one out of every ten verses, or two-hundred-eighty-eight verses total. He references it more than any other topic He speaks about, even more than heaven and hell combined. Why? Money can be our downfall, but it doesn’t have to be.

            The Apostle Paul states perhaps the most succinct and profound reason for Jesus’s warnings about money. In 1 Timothy 6:10, Paul says, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” Notice that Paul does not say money is the root, it is the love of money. When we become more enamored with money than God, we are in trouble.

            Paul writes to the Corinthian church to let them know he is sending some fellow Christians to collect an offering to help the Jerusalem church. They had previously stated they were eager to assist. Paul had been bragging on their eagerness. He doesn’t want them nor himself to be embarrassed if they are not ready.

            Paul’s encouragement to them is to take up collections over time to achieve their targeted amount. He also reminds them they are to sow bountifully so they may reap bountifully. Yet he also tells them not to give out of compulsion but give because they want to.

            What is our reason for giving to the work of the church? Unfortunately, too many give begrudgingly, and they give far too little. The reason we should give to the work of the church is our love for God and a desire to work with him in reaching the lost.

            Jesus stated He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. One part of the law required the first fruits to be given to God and tithe one tenth of what we earn. That may sound like a lot, and it is. However, our giving is both an act of worship and a reflection of our love for God.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7: The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not regretfully or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.