how do you know what is in your heart?
we often don’t spend the time in God’s presence or dwell in his word needed to truly cultivate relationship… to know His heart. yet we expect to hear his voice and know where he is leading.
when we know the heart of God because of our relationship and intimacy with him on a daily basis, then his heart is what is on our heart. we know the voice of the Holy Spirit’s prompting. we know what to give.
we often act like – giving to the local body, giving back to God what is already His, giving to others – is a suggestion. there is no suggestion here. rather, it is most certainly a command.
cheerful giving doesn’t look like:
+ giving because that’s what your parents did and told you that you should do
+ giving hoping then your prayers will be answered
+ giving to show others how generous that you are
+ giving out of guilt that you make so much money
+ giving after everything else was paid and taken care of
what would it look like for you to give from a place of radical obedience?
leaving a gap, especially in finances, allows us to rely that much more on the Lord. likely, it isn’t pragmatic or maybe even logical, but it builds reliance and an expectancy for the Lord to move. It allows us to experience God’s character as Provider.
oh, what a joy to give out of obedience.
~ natalie schmidt