Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

Are you ever fearful of not having enough money? The solution is counter-intuitive: give more away!

The spiritual habit of generosity demonstrates our faith in God and it’s the solution to greed and fear. For most of us, money is the hardest thing to give away. That’s why God asks us to give money – not because He needs it, but because we need to learn trust and generosity. The Bible says, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). God loves a cheerful giver because He knows that generosity brings us true joy.

When we give our money away, we acknowledge that God alone is our provider. Hoarding money comes from greed and fear that God won’t come through. When God asks us to be generous with our money, He invites us into the peace and freedom of leaving that fear behind. We don’t have to cling to our money in fear when we are clinging to God in faith!

We also partner with God in loving others when we give. Kathy’s pastor had been teaching about giving when she noticed the unhappy looking, unfriendly clerk at her neighborhood grocery store. One night, God put that clerk’s face in Kathy’s mind, and she knew what she had to do. The next day she purchased a gift card along with her eggs and milk and handed the card to the clerk saying, “This is from Jesus. He wanted me to give this to you!” The clerk burst into tears. “No one has ever given me anything,” she said, “and it’s my birthday!”

For a free Bible study on spiritual habits, go to guidelines.org/healthyhabits.