Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem.
(1 Corinthians 16:1-3 ESV)
You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.
The essence of all the commands of God in Scripture, according to Jesus, boils down to the simple command to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. If we love God completely and love our neighbor extravagantly, we will fulfill all the laws of God. That's pretty encouraging! But what does it mean to love?
You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.
Love is more than a feeling. It is active caring for another. When I love, I seek the very best for another person. I want their life to be blessed, and I do what I can to bless them. When they have needs, I seek to fill them. In short, I give of myself and my resources so they are blessed.
Out of love for neighbor and compassion for people going through unthinkable tragedy, many of us have given financially toward the relief efforts for the people whose homes and businesses were simply washed away in the severe flooding from hurricane Helene. Some of us have gone and will go into the mountains to help muck out houses and rebuild lives. Love finds tangible expression in giving.
In the verses above, the Apostle Paul is taking up a collection for the poor, persecuted saints in Jerusalem, and he instructs the Corinthian Christians to give toward it. He encourages them to give consistently - setting aside an amount on the first day of each week toward the collection. Paul does not view Christian giving as pay-per-view - as throwing in a $20 bill whenever we attend church and watch the show. We are more committed than that in our giving to God's work.
Paul urges the Corinthians to set aside their gifts "as he may prosper." Here is another biblical principle for giving: proportionality. We give in proportion to what we earn. God does not call his people to equal gifts, but to equal sacrifice. The beginning point for committed believers in Jesus Christ is the tithe - giving 10% of what we earn for God's Kingdom and work. Beyond that, we give offerings of love to help people in life, to charities and causes that capture our hearts.
In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul adds another giving principle to his instructions about this offering: cheerful giving!
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV)
Think of how it warms your heart to see your children or grandchildren be generous, sharing a toy or part of their meal with another child, or buying a gift with their own money for a birthday or Mother's or Father's Day. Similarly, it thrills God's heart when He sees His love so at work in our hearts that our loving response is to give cheerfully to help others.
You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.
This giving is about more than our money. It is about our heart. And it is about all our resources. You see, we are called not only to give financially to God's work, but also with our time and talents and service, using the gifts God has freely given us for others. We are blessed to be a blessing. And when we give consistently, proportionally and cheerfully, we bless God's heart as His children.
Look around. You don't have to look very far to see someone who would be abundantly blessed with the gift or your time or service or a financial donation. They will be helped, and you will be blessed in the giving. Remember, God loves a cheerful giver.