2 Corinthians 9:12-15 (NASB)

¹² For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. 

¹³ Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, ¹⁴ while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. 

¹⁵ Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

2 Corinthians 8:3 (NASB) ³ For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, 

• Cheerful giving comes from inside, from the heart, rather than from external coercion. It begins by giving just as one has purposed in his heart. 
  
• Nor is giving to be ne grudgingly. Lupe Lupe = (grudgingly) literally means, “sorrow,” “grief,” or “pain.”
  

Monday Morning Moment: “Give with the right motives and watch God give more!”

2 Cor. 9:7 – Not grudgingly…for God loveth a cheerful giver
Deut. 15:10a – Thou shalt give…& thine heart shall not be grieved
Exo. 25:2 – Bring Me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take My offering
1 Chr. 29:9 – People rejoiced…because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord
Heb. 10:34 – Ye took joyfully the spoiling of your goods

A. Spiritual Benefit of Giving

Exodus 35:1 – 35 (NASB)

⁴ Moses spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the LORD has commanded, saying, 

⁵ ‘Take from among you a contribution to the LORD; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as the LORD’S contribution: gold, silver, and bronze, 

⁶ and blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goats’ hair, 

²¹ Everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought the LORD’S contribution for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments. 

²² Then all whose hearts moved them, both men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and bracelets, all articles of gold; so did every man who presented an offering of gold to the LORD. 

²⁴ Everyone who could make a contribution of silver and bronze brought the LORD’S contribution; and every man who had in his possession acacia wood for any work of the service brought it. 

Exodus 36:1 – 7 (NASB)

³ They received from Moses all the contributions which the sons of Israel had brought to perform the work in the construction of the sanctuary. And they still continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. 

⁴ And all the skillful men who were performing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work which he was performing, 

⁵ and they said to Moses, “The people are bringing much more than enough for the construction work which the LORD commanded us to perform.” 

⁶ So Moses issued a command, and a proclamation was circulated throughout the camp, saying, “Let no man or woman any longer perform work for the contributions of the sanctuary.” Thus the people were restrained from bringing any more. 

⁷ For the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to perform it.

Here is what happens when we give with the right attitude:

2 Chronicles 5:11-14 (NASB)

¹¹ When the priests came forth from the holy place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without regard to divisions), 

¹² and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and kinsmen, clothed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps and lyres, standing east of the altar, and with them one hundred and twenty priests blowing trumpets 

¹³ in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice accompanied by trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and when they praised the LORD saying, “ He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is everlasting,” then the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, 

¹⁴ so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.

1 Chronicles 29:9 (NASB)

⁹Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to the LORD with a whole heart, and King David also rejoiced greatly.

B. Physical Benefit of Giving

1 Kings 17:1-16 (NASB)

¹Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 

²The word of the LORD came to him, saying, 

³“Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 

⁴“It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.” 

⁵So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 

⁶The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook. 

⁷It happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

⁸Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 

⁹“Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” 

¹⁰So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink.” 

¹¹As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.” 

¹²But she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 

¹³Then Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. 

¹⁴“For thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the face of the earth.’” 

¹⁵So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days. 

¹⁶The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke through Elijah.