The Money Minister

How to Become a Cheerful Giver

• Catherine Van Der Laan • Season 4 • Episode 9

Share episode

Send us a text

In this episode, we discuss the tension between being told we have to tithe and being told we should be cheerful givers.

We dive into scripture in 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 to listen to what God said through Paul to the Corinthian church in his third letter to them. There's a lost letter, so 2 Corinthians is largely believed to be Paul's third letter.

Let's figure out how to change our minds and hearts to become cheerful givers. We'll talk through how to figure out if God has given you enough to give and what God means when he asks us to be cheerful givers.



Book a free coaching session: https://www.saverstreet.com/free-consultation

saverstreet.com
catherine.vanderlaan@saverstreet.com
FB: @SaverStreet
IG: @saver.street

Speaker 1:

If you are feeling this tension and you don't feel that tithing or giving is cheerful, and so you're saying, well, I don't have to because I'm not cheerful about it, then it's time to look at why.

Speaker 1:

It's time to look through what is causing you to not want to be generous when God has been so generous to you. And I'm not saying that in a guilting kind of way, I'm not saying hey, you should feel real guilty because God was generous with you and you should be generous back to God's people. That's not it. That is not it. What I'm saying is God has given you enough. He has given you enough in multiple times in your life. Maybe it is not enough. As we see it here and now in the United States, a lot of people say God will provide for me. And then they have beautiful iPhones, they have new cars, they have a bunch of stuff, and they're like why isn't God providing for me? He is, he is. You're making decisions with your finances that might not align with the decisions that God wants for your life, and I know that's a super truth. This is the Money Minister podcast. I bet you thought I'd be a man. My name is Katherine Vanderlaan and I'm a financial coach and minister in training. I firmly believe that Christians shouldn't have money worries. This podcast is about keeping money in its place as a tool and not allowing it to rule your life. Welcome back to the Money Minister. Today we are talking about how do you become a cheerful giver.

Speaker 1:

My name is Katherine Vanderlaan. I am a financial coach and educator. I'm the creator of Church Outreach in a Box. I run the Financial Abundance course and I work mostly with Christians. I am the Money Minister. I am the money minister, I'm a minister in training and I'm also a minister's wife.

Speaker 1:

Let's talk today about how do you become a cheerful giver. This is a topic that goes around a lot in Christian circles. Right, we are taught in 2 Corinthians, which I will read for you in a moment, to be a cheerful giver. God loves a cheerful giver. That is thrown around a lot. We teach it to our children, we say it said from the pulpit, we share it with our friends. But what happens when you don't feel it? You don't feel cheerful, you feel stressed, you don't know if you can pay your bills. There's a tension between giving, because God calls us to give, and the scripture that I'm about to read in 2 Corinthians 9, verses 6 through 15, which calls us to give according to what we've determined in our hearts, what we are happy to give. That is what we are going to talk about today. So let me read for you 2 Corinthians 9, verses 6 through 15. I am reading this in the World English Bible, mostly because it does not have a copyright, so I don't have to ask permission from anybody to read this.

Speaker 1:

Remember this he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Let each man give according as he has determined in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver and God is able to make all grace abound to you that you always having all sufficiency in everything, may abound to every good work. As it is written. He has scattered abroad, he has given to the poor. His righteousness remains forever. That is Psalm 112, 9. Now may he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the fruits that are righteousness, you being enriched in everything, to all. Generosity which produces thanksgiving to God through us. Giving that you perform not only makes up for lack among the saints, but abounds also through much giving of thanks to God, seeing that through the proof given by this service, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the good news of Christ and for the generosity of your contribution to them and to all, while they themselves, also, with supplication on your behalf, yearn for you by reason of the exceeding grace of God in you. Now, thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift. Okay, you guys, that was a long verse.

Speaker 1:

Most people read maybe verses seven and eight, right, or just verse seven, which says let each man give according as he is determined in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. But I read the rest of it to you because I want you to hear the entire piece here and understand the context. So this is Paul writing to the Corinthian church and encouraging them in their generosity. He is basically saying you don't have to give, but I'm telling you, corinthians, you're giving. God gave to you. When you sow sparingly, you will reap sparingly. When you sow bountifully, you will reap bountifully. So he's reminding them at the very beginning what you sow, you will reap, and that is a general principle and promise that God gives us in the Bible and in multiple places. So he's reminding them of God's promise about sowing bountifully and reaping bountifully. So if you give, god will see that and it will be given back to you, maybe not in this life, maybe not in this world, but at least treasures in heaven.

Speaker 1:

Then he's also saying don't give under compulsion, so don't be forced to give, but give cheerfully, understanding. And then he keeps going on about how God made all grace abound to them. So God sent his son, god forgave them and gave to them eternal life. God gave them forgiveness for their sins and all of us. That God is giving them sufficiency in everything. That God is giving them sufficiency in everything. So he's giving us all everything that we need so that the good works that God has put in front of us to do can be done. So may abound in every good work.

Speaker 1:

Then I read this big, big, big chunk to you, verses 10 through 15. And all of this really is is Paul reminding the Corinthians that God gave them what they have. He calls us to give to people who are doing the work of God, for the service of giving that you perform not only makes up for the lack among the saints, but abounds through much giving of thanks to God. So he's also saying that you are making up for the lack of what other Christians don't have right now, so the lack of what they have, and there is much thanksgiving to God because of your generosity. So lest you think this is going nowhere and nothing is happening because of it people are being fed, they are being clothed. Nothing is happening because of it. People are being fed, they are being clothed. The work of God is being done, the gospel is being shared, and so Paul is encouraging them that he is seeing a proof of the service of God because of their gift. So he is encouraging them in their generosity and saying hey, there are tons of reasons to give, and one of them so that Thanksgiving would be given to God because of this. He goes on and on, just to encourage. So. So Paul here is trying to encourage the Corinthians to be cheerful givers. He is saying go ahead, be a cheerful giver, because all of this great stuff happens when you give.

Speaker 1:

But there is that tension between giving because God calls us to give, like in. I think it's Malachi when God says give the full tithe into the storehouses or give the full tithe to God and you will see that God will open up the storehouses of heaven and more blessings than you will ever see will be rained down on you. So God is encouraging people to tithe and Paul here is encouraging people to give. But there is this tension between giving because God calls you to give and giving out of cheerfulness, especially when you don't feel it. Now I talk about this a lot with different clients of mine. I coach a lot of Christians, and if you are struggling with this, or if you're a Christian and you're struggling with your finances I don't like to use the word struggling, but that is generally what people experience is a struggle, a wrestling between their faith and their finances. So if you are experiencing that, click the little button below and schedule a consultation or download the PDF that I have about biblical principles and finances. Get some help and I'm happy to help you.

Speaker 1:

Okay, if you are feeling this tension and you don't feel that tithing or giving is cheerful, and so you're saying, well, I don't have to because I'm not cheerful about it, then it's time to look at why. It's time to look through what is causing you to not want to be generous when God has been so generous to you and I'm not saying that in a guilting kind of way. I'm not saying, hey, you should feel real guilty because God was generous with you and you should be generous back to God's people. That's not it. That is not it. What I'm saying is God has given you enough. He's given you enough in multiple times in your life. Maybe it is not enough.

Speaker 1:

As we see it here and now in the United States, a lot of people say God will provide for me. And then they have beautiful iPhones, they have new cars, they have a bunch of stuff, and they're like why isn't God providing for me? He is, he is. You're making decisions with your finances that might not align with the decisions that God wants for your life, and I know that's a super truth, right, that is a bam bomb dropping right on you. But it is also true that people put their money where they value things. If you value having a shiny new car and you don't value giving, then examine your heart.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so I do this exercise with Christian clients of mine. I actually do a version of it with non-Christian clients of mine. I add do a version of it with non-Christian clients of mine and I add a little bit more when people are Christian. So we do this now and future exercise that I'd be happy to do with you, if you decide to work with me, and I break it down and I say, okay, let's talk about your needs now and your needs in the future, and your wants now and your wants in the future, and so we'll go through and list out what are your needs now and about how much of your budget is going to that Okay. Total income, total percentage of budget how much is going to your needs now? Then we list out the wants Okay, and how much of your budget is going toward your wants now, okay, and so we'll put a percentage to that. Now we take out we don't consider taxes in this. We do consider 401k contributions. When we get to the future stuff, list out your future needs and your future wants and how much of your budget is going toward, or how much of your income is going toward, your future needs and wants. So we do that exercise too, and it's pretty eye-opening when people see the percentage breakdown and they are prioritizing with their dollars wants now and no needs in the future, okay, okay. Now I add something.

Speaker 1:

When we are looking at a Christian's budget, I say what about the church? What about giving? How much of your budget is going toward giving to God's works, giving to the church, tithing, offering, generosity, sponsoring a child, whatever it is that God is calling you to do to give? How much of your budget is going to that now and how much do you plan you know how much of it is going to future giving? And most people look at that and go oh, wow, oh, okay, a lot. Almost every single time we go through that exercise, my Christian folks of which I am one, so my Christian friends and clients will look at that and say we'll look at that and say a much, much, much larger percentage of my budget is going toward my wants now and a very small percentage is going toward the needs of the Christian community. God has given you enough. Think about that. Think about that and think about what God has called you to do. Okay, god is not saying strip all of your wants and don't ever have any fun. Okay, that is not. That is absolutely not what God is calling you to do.

Speaker 1:

I'm very, very soon. I'm taking my kids and to the Great Wolf Lodge. We are going to go have fun. My husband is really excited about it. We're meeting friends there. We love hanging out and doing fun things with our kids. We also like to go on trips, we like to travel, but our fun now and in the future cannot take the place of the good works that God has called us to do.

Speaker 1:

And coming from the other side of this, I'll give you some percentages. About 22% of the income my husband and I make goes toward giving both tithing, so that's a good 10% tithing, and then special gifts and offerings okay, and supporting different people and ministries, and all of that. It's about 22 to 24% depending on the year and how much we make. Okay, that is more than how much we use to fund our wants now and future. We save about 20% toward retirement. I don't want to have to work forever, so we save about 20% toward retirement. I don't want to have to work forever, so we save about 20% toward retirement. The rest of it goes toward needs Okay, needs, and now wants. And I do put my kids schooling. And needs I like to make sure that they have a quality education. I guess technically it could be a want, so we could swing either way. But even with that, even with that, our wants would not eclipse our giving.

Speaker 1:

I know that some of you listening to that will say, wow, you come from such a privileged position being able to give that much money away. Yes, I agree, yes, we do. And when you have been really faithful with a few things from God, he entrusts you with more and more. So examine your heart. Do not say that God has not given you enough unless you really don't have enough. Unless you don't, then you go to the church and you ask, and you go to the government too and you ask and you say, please help me, help me, help me. And that is okay, that is okay. People will find all different ways to help you. God will provide for your needs. Do not neglect his people. So, coming back, how do you become a cheerful giver through all of this? Well, you look at the perspective of eternity. Okay, from the perspective of eternity, knowing that you have eternal life and your life here on earth is a small dot in comparison to the eternity that we will spend with Jesus.

Speaker 1:

Think about what you would do from a thousand years ago. What choices would you make? What obituary would you write for yourself? Would it say she loved to travel and spend money on herself, but couldn't give a dime to the church to travel and spend money on herself, but couldn't give a dime to the church, would it say she ate some of the most expensive foods? She took care of her body in the highest priced way that she could find, but when it came to a benevolence fund, she couldn't figure out how to feed her neighbor. Would Jesus look at you and say I don't know you. You didn't visit me when I was in prison. You didn't give me a glass of water when I was thirsty. You didn't feed me when I was hungry. Or will he look at you and say you prioritized. You knew where you were spending your time. You visited me when I was in prison. You gave me a glass of water when I was thirsty. You gave me something to eat when I was hungry. Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me.

Speaker 1:

Now I want to be very honest with you, looking back and I did a review. I do a review of our finances a lot, mostly because I want to make sure that we're being good stewards of everything and I was surprised to see that 22%. Honestly, I think the last year it was like maybe 20%, something like that. Every year. I'm actually kind of surprised about just calculating the percentages when I do taxes. That's what we do.

Speaker 1:

I'm not always cheerful. I'm not always cheerful. I'm not always cheerful when I give no. I look at that and go okay, my tithe is an obligation, let's make sure that it is correct Every month. I just want to make sure that it's correct when we're tithing. And then I go through and say you know, we support a missionary in the United States. We support a few, actually, and one of them. I'm like, oh, do we need to give that much, is it? And then I check myself because that is the wrong question to ask. That is not okay. I check myself and I say, no, god has given us enough. They are being enriched in everything, to all generosity which produces thanksgiving to God. Through us, they are able to do God's work. God has asked us to partner with them. I remember that calling and when we set up that recurring gift, I was cheerful.

Speaker 1:

What is going on in my heart? It makes me think again about the giving that God has called me to do. What is it in my heart? And oftentimes it's a little seed of greed, a little seed of doubt. It is a little seed of of greed, a little seed of doubt. It is a little seed of insecurity, not that God is going to bless us enough, not thinking that maybe he won't provide. He will, he will and he does and he has.

Speaker 1:

God has been with me every step along the way, and when you ask God and you earnestly seek him and you earnestly ask him to be with you and to give you good things, he will Ask it with a pure heart. Ask it to know what you should do and what good God has called you to do. Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find Knock and the door will be open to you. You will find salvation. You will find comfort from the great comforter, the Holy Spirit. So go and remember how much God has done for you. Ask God to turn your heart and make it cheerful. Every time I ask God to show up, he does. God shows up every single time. So ask him to turn your heart and make you into a cheerful giver.

Speaker 1:

And if what is really going on is all of these thorns have grown up, the worries of the world, and you cannot see the sun for the thorns, you cannot see God because of the worries of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth, talk to me. This is my calling. This is what God has asked me to do. I work with Christians and their finances, and I can help you cut down those thorns, burn them to the ground, root them out so they don't grow up again. Let's realign your finances and your budget with your life so that you can serve God, so that you can see God and you can have that cheerful heart. All right, that is it.

Speaker 1:

My name is Katherine Vanderlaan. Please, please, like, follow, share this podcast, give us, give me, a five-star review. That would be excellent. If you need more to do so, if you would like to schedule that 30-minute consultation with me, click the link below. I would love to meet with you. Until then, this is the Money Minister. My name is Katherine Vanderlaan. I am happy to help you reconnect with God, to root out some of these things in our lives that God doesn't need. God doesn't want us to have in our lives. I'm happy to help you think through money and finances. All right, until next time. I'll see you then. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Money Minister Podcast. I'm glad you're here. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate our podcast on iTunes or whatever you're using to listen. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at saverstreet, and if you need help with your personal finances, feel free to book a complimentary consultation at savoredstreetcom. We'll help you find what you need in your journey to financial independence. I'll see you in the next episode.