The Christian’s Guide to Being a Cheerful Giver 

You might have noticed that on our blog we often talk about every Christian’s call to participate in the Great Commission—Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:16-20 to tell the world about Him. We believe Jesus calls us all to share the gospel, wherever we are. But we also encourage you to pray and give so that others can share Christ with media and tools in their language. 

It’s only natural to wonder: How does my calling to spread the gospel work in tandem with my giving? What does the Bible actually say about giving? Does the Bible say to give cheerfully? How do I do that?

The Bible encourages us as Christian believers to give of what we have, to give generously …and to give joyfully. It’s true regardless of whether I give to my local church, a missionary, a neighbor or Jesus Film Project. 

Giving should be a natural part of my Christian walk, as natural as prayer and sharing the gospel. I should give happily, not as a secondary option, or out of a sense of responsibility, according to 2 Corinthians 9:7. In fact, it’s there that Paul tells us that God loves a cheerful giver.

This is a guide for everyday Christians (you and me) who want to understand giving, want to give well, and be cheerful givers. It’s a resource for any Christian who wants to move beyond feeling obligated to give, and move toward a life of giving that’s authentic and joyful.

Understanding Giving—Biblical Foundations

If you’re looking for verses about giving, you can find them across the Bible, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. 

Now, you might be tempted to discard what the Old Testament has to offer on the subject of giving, which we’ll cover in the next section. Maybe you would prefer to skip to New Testament guidance—Jesus’ words and 2 Corinthians 9:7—the Bible verse about giving cheerfully. 

To skip ahead to learn what a cheerful giver is according to 2 Corinthians 9:7, and read practical steps about how to be a cheerful giver, click here.

But I really think we need to take in both (Old and New Testament) with equal measure. 

The Old Testament doesn’t just hold “rules” for the Israelites that don’t apply to us. God’s relationship with His chosen people, the people of Israel, is a great precursor for His desired relationship with us. Through Jesus Christ, we have been adopted as His children and we are His chosen people as well. 

Many verses in the Old Testament are mandates or commands to give, sacrifice and present offerings—many, but not all. And that’s important. 

In both testaments of the Bible, we find essential truths about how we’re meant to approach giving. We find a model for Godly giving that sets us on the right path toward cheerful giving. 

Bible verses about giving (Old Testament) 

Bible verses in the Old Testament instruct the Israelites on mandatory giving, as either a sacrifice to honor God or to feed their own people. These verses have the Israelites offer up their harvested grain, produce (the fruits of their harvest) and livestock (animals) to God. 

In Leviticus, God requires a tenth of whatever their land produces within these categories.

Eventually, “a tenth” comes to be called the “tithe” in Malachi 3:10. 

There are instructions about giving the first fruits of their produce and animals (Deuteronomy 26:1-10; Exodus 22:29-30). First fruits were given to God before they could go to anything or anyone else, for instance, to be used as food or to be sold. The first fruits were the very best of what the Israelites had, and whatever was of the best quality. The best went to God first. 

 A joyful or “cheerful” mindset about giving toward the spread of the gospel starts with a right understanding of giving and of God.

God also instructs the Israelites to give according to their feasts and festivals throughout the year (Leviticus 23). Lastly, we find God urging the Israelites toward charity, to help the widows and orphans among them, in Deuteronomy 15:7-8. To be fair, both the tithe and first fruits were used to help the poor (Deuteronomy 14:28-29) as well. 

Here’s where it gets interesting. Amid all of those mandates, the Israelites were also encouraged to take part in voluntary giving, according to how God had blessed them. We see it in Deuteronomy 16:10:

God doesn’t assign an amount or percentage to this kind of giving. 

In Exodus 35:4-9, Moses tells the people that God has commanded “everyone who is willing” to bring the Lord an offering of gold, silver and bronze and other specific items. A command to give voluntarily, from the heart? Yes. We also see it in Deuteronomy 15:10. 

In Exodus 35:21-22, we see the result. God’s call to give reaches everyone who was willing and “whose heart moved them.” The passage records that the people brought gold jewelry of all kinds, which they presented to the Lord as an offering, a “freewill” offering. 

The verses that follow detail what else the men and women of Israel brought to God: onyx stones, gems, spices, olive oil for the Lord’s tabernacle (Exodus 35:25-29). 

Clearly, the Israelites didn’t give solely because they were told to give. Their hearts were stirred to give! Despite all of the mandatory calls to giving they had to follow, they gave voluntarily. With these voluntary offerings, Israel thanked God, asked forgiveness for unintentional sins and made peace with God.

Why ask for both mandatory and voluntary offerings? Perhaps with each sacrifice and each offering, year after year, the Israelites became practiced in giving, in releasing what they earned. But they weren’t giving out of “muscle memory,” instead likely out of a spiritual inclination, as God taught their hearts to hold His provision loosely and set their sights on Him.

What do these Bible verses teach us about giving? 

The Israelites had learned early on that God was the source of all their provision. For a season, He provided them with manna (bread) and quail (meat) from the heavens every day of the week (Exodus 16:1-36). They couldn’t keep the manna until morning outside of the double portion God gave them on the sixth day, the Sabbath, the day before no manna fell.

The lesson was reliance on God every day through the blessing that comes from His hand alone. The daily manna was meant to teach them that they were to live off of “every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3). 

Later, in the New Testament, Jesus would teach His disciples (and future followers like you and me) that truth in the Lord’s prayer: “Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:9-11). The Israelites needed His bread, His words, every day. So do we! He is our provision in all senses of the word. I can give freely because my provision comes from a God who sustains me with His words.

Bible verses about giving (New Testament) 

When we reach the New Testament, Jesus drills down on our heart’s posture toward God and our willingness to give. 

• Jesus teaches us that when we give, we shouldn’t announce our actions to everyone so that they see us (Matthew 6:1-4). The One who will notice is our Father in heaven.
• In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “Give to everyone who asks of you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back” (Luke 6:30). 
• The rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-22 asks what else he can do to gain eternal life, other than keep the commandments. Jesus asks him to sell all he owns, give it to the poor and follow Him. Instead, he prioritizes his possessions over a commitment to God.
• Finally, Jesus points the disciples to God as the giver of good gifts (Matthew 7:11), a truth that is echoed in James 1:17. 

The Bible on giving and the character of God 

It’s clear that Jesus’ message is often that the heart of the giver is just as important as the gift. But do you see again (in the New Testament) how the purpose of giving is to point us back to God the Father and His qualities: good, personal, generous, selfless, blessed. 

Consider Paul’s call in Ephesians 5:1-2 to be “imitators of God” or “follow His example” in other Bible versions. In giving freely and generously, we imitate Him. What’s more, our lives reflect Him. 

Have you ever wondered what happened to what the Israelites gave as gifts and sacrifices to God—when they didn’t go toward the tabernacle?

Traditionally, the people brought their “gifts” to the storehouse (for present and future community needs), as we see in Malachi 3:10. But a portion was also given to the priests and their households (Deuteronomy 18:3-4). In this way, the priests—who had no crops or income—were provided for. Some scholars say the priests eating the offerings in the temple, which was holy, served to mark God’s acceptance of the offering. 

In some instances, animals were sacrificed (killed) on an altar as an offering to God. And there were specific instructions about burning up the fat and blood that those animals spilled, pointing to Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice, of course (Leviticus 7:1-6, Hebrews 9:23-28). 

Everything was used—the blood, the fat—nothing was wasted. Each part had a purpose and a plan, much like everything God does. We witness that perfect frugality and yet generosity in God’s creation, another reflection of Him. 

Here’s what renowned preacher Charles Spurgeon said about God, nature, and its relation to cheerful giving:

If He cares this much and is this precise about His gifts in nature, how much more will He care for the gifts He gives us and asks us to give?

But the end goal, as always, is to experience hints of His love, to be more like Him and draw near to Him. Proverbs 18:16 reminds us: A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great. That fills my heart with joy and makes me excited to find opportunities to give.

What Is a “Cheerful Giver”?

Now that we’ve got a good foundation for giving from the Bible as a whole, we can approach being a “cheerful giver” in 2 Corinthians 9:7: “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.”

As with everything in the Bible, context is key. The verse prior (verse 6) and the verse that follows (verse 8) hold the clues to what being a cheerful giver means. Let’s look at these verses together.

Whoever sows sparingly, reaps sparingly, and whoever sows generously, reaps generously. That is, in a harvest, you collect in crops to the extent that you plant, or sow. You collect in the same proportion you sow. You get what you put in. It’s equal. Paul’s audience would’ve known that. Some Corinthian families may have planted crops and reaped a harvest if they lived off of what they grew on their land. Or perhaps their grandfather or great-grandfather did.

Here, Paul reminds them that although we reap according to what we sow, God gives abundantly and covers the full extent of the need. The proportion of His provision isn’t equal; it’s abundant. God is being true to how He has always been regarding giving. 

The Old Testament tells us that at least a tenth of what the Israelites sowed was given toward the storehouse, with the best going to sacrifices to God. Still, whether through manna or the overflow of their giving, God made sure they always had enough. With each gift and sacrifice, He taught them this was possible. He even promised to bless them in their generosity toward the poor (Deuteronomy 15:10).

Now, we have to remember that in 2 Corinthians 9, Paul is encouraging the Corinthians to give toward the mission of building up the church and spreading the gospel. That’s why he notes that God’s abundant blessing would cover both what they needed for themselves and for the work of the gospel.

All they had to do was give and give earnestly. That is the heart of verse 7, and why it’s sandwiched in between the two statements: about our sowing and reaping for an equivalent result, but God’s abundance in return. As I apply this to myself and all Christian, I can’t help but see us as “middlemen” in giving. We’re in the middle of the entire process, but have the smallest role—the proper heart posture. God provides, we give it away willingly, and He multiplies the gift and its effects.

In 2 Corinthians 9:10-11 Paul solidifies that God, the one who supplies seed for the sower, is the one who enlarges the harvest of their righteousness. As a result, Paul tells the Corinthians: “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion….” 

A cheerful giver is confident and joyful because in giving freely, without restraint, it is a reflection of God’s own giving to them. And God multiplies that for the need. 

When we give toward one missionary or one ministry project, the effect of our giving doesn’t stop there. We see it multiplied in the people that the missionary or that project wins for Christ.

A cheerful giver is confident and joyful because in giving freely, without restraint, it is a reflection of God’s own giving to them.

In 2 Corinthians 9:13, Paul beautifully concludes: “Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.” 

Why does God love a cheerful giver?

For me, in 2 Corinthians 9:7, there’s obviously a beautiful flashback to Exodus 35:21-22: “everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the Lord.” This along with and after their mandatory, required offerings. 

The verse in 2 Corinthians ends with, “for God loves a cheerful giver”—meaning he loves the one who gives when required in obedience to God (giving from what they sowed and reaped in offering to God), but also out of the willingness of their heart to honor Him. It’s all He requires. With both, we are drawn to Him (His presence, Proverbs 18:16) and align ourselves to His will.

I love how this Ligonier article on cheerful giving puts it: “When we use our money as God intends, giving a generous portion to His kingdom work regularly, we will feel God’s pleasure because we are doing what we are made to do. When we feel pleasure in giving, we will be cheerful givers.”

But there’s another reason God loves a cheerful giver.

Paul starts 2 Corinthians 9 by talking about the Macedonian believers. Why? It’s a call back to the chapter prior, in which Paul uses the generosity of the Macedonians to inspire the Corinthians to give generously as well. 

You see, Chapter 9 catches the end of Paul’s discourse on cheerful giving. The start and guiding light of his main point is in Chapter 8. 

In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul highlights to the Corinthians the perfect model of giving in Jesus. How did Jesus Christ give? “…Though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Jesus gives Himself and enriches us. Does this exchange feel familiar? In a callback to Old Testament offerings, God gives the sacrifice (Jesus) and the blessing for us is abundant—it’s eternal life.

To give with a cheerful heart is first and foremost to be Christlike.

In his Ligonier article, pastor and scholar James Harvey says, “Jesus is the supreme example of a cheerful giver.” He continues, “God loves a cheerful giver because those who feel pleasure in giving display the glorious grace of His Son. His grace abounds to us in giving because, in the act of giving, we are being moved toward the image of Christ.”

The meaning of 2 Corinthians 9:7 

To reiterate, 2 Corinthians 9:7 (in the context of verses 6 and 8) does not promote a “tit for tat” or “quid pro quo” exchange between us and God for giving. God does not ask us to give to Him so that He, in turn, will give back to us abundantly. 

I don’t give to God and His work (through the church, a missionary or Jesus Film Project) as a way to receive back from God. I don’t give to God as a way to buy or secure His favor or get something good back from Him. 

The meaning of 2 Corinthians 9:7 is that we give according to how God has stirred our hearts, in response to how much He has given us—in Himself and through Christ. He ensures that the gift will become abundant.

When we give with a cheerful heart, we do so with the expectation that God will multiply it, creating abundance for His work and for His glory! 

How to Be a Cheerful Giver 

If you’re wondering how to be a cheerful giver, remember what the Bible tells us about giving, through both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

1. What you have is already God’s to begin with (Deuteronomy 10:14; Psalm 24:1). Hold your belongings, your income, your time loosely. They are not yours at the end of the day. Be willing to let go of them—even the best gifts He’s given you.

2. He is our source. And if He’s our source (Acts 17:24-28), He can easily give that gift again and more abundantly, if He chooses. We won’t lack (Psalms 23:1-3).

3. Every good gift comes from God. If everything God gives us is good (Matthew 7:11), and we are His vessels, isn’t it a privilege to be able to pass on what He’s given us to someone else? Think about the goodness of the life-changing message of the gospel in your own life. What a greater joy to be able to give so that gift reaches everyone, everywhere (Acts 20:35).

4. We give out of gratitude and thankfulness. In giving we thank God for His goodness toward us and for His forgiving our sins (Leviticus 7:11-15; Psalm 116:17). We give cheerfully to be enriched so that we can in turn be generous—and in this type of giving we give thanks to God (2 Corinthians 9:11).

5. Giving is a way to imitate both God’s nature and Jesus’ sacrifice. Give generously, knowing that Jesus’ death on the cross was an example of generosity toward us (2 Corinthians 8:9). It’s an example to emulate.

Whenever you’re struggling to give cheerfully, revisit the Bible verses shared above from both the Old and New Testaments to recall God’s original intention around giving. Reflect on His character. Seek to imitate Him and ask Him to give you a heart like His, whatever the need is.

Then recall what 2 Corinthians 9:7 tells us: God loves a cheerful giver because he or she gives expecting God will multiply the gift as a show of His faithfulness, sovereignty and provision toward the work of the kingdom.

You can read about the characteristics of a cheerful giver in this Goodsense article.  

Benefits of Being a Cheerful Giver 

The main benefit of being a cheerful giver is that God blesses us, and in more ways than one. 

After he tells us that God loves a cheerful giver, in 2 Corinthians 9:9 Paul quotes part of Psalm 112:9: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever.” But he neglects to include the final part of the verse from the Psalms which says: “their horn will be lifted high in honor.” 

Lifting the horn indicated being exalted, suggesting that because of their godly action, the Israelites would be honored and elevated by God, according to the Berean Study Bible.

Proverbs 19:17 compares kindness to the poor with lending to God Himself, for which God rewards that person. “This act of giving is not just a social duty but a spiritual one, reflecting God’s own generosity and care for the marginalized” (Berean Study Bible).

I invite you to reflect on these additional benefits of being a cheerful giver. 

We experience spiritual growth

I’m reminded of the story of Elijah and the widow in 1 Kings 17: 7-16. In the middle of a drought, God prompts Elijah to ask a widow for water and bread. She admits to Elijah that she has none, only a handful of flour and a little olive oil to make a final meal for herself and her son. 

Elijah tells her to make him the bread and then make something for herself and her son. She did. The flour and olive oil never ran out after that. Sure, in this story, Elijah performed a miracle and proved God’s might. But the experience mainly served to teach the widow to trust God’s provision.  I can think of another widow in Luke 21:1-4 whom Jesus praised for giving out of her poverty.

Giving joyfully (according to what we have and even what we don’t) allows us the opportunity to exercise trust in God’s provision. It also builds a few more spiritual muscles: discipline, obedience, and selflessness. In this way, like all Godly habits, the giving leaves us with more than we had before because God multiplies our spiritual growth. 

Charles Spurgeon famously said: “Our gifts are not to be measured by the amount we contribute, but by the surplus kept in our own hand.”

We’re blessed in contentment with God Himself

I’ve heard Malachi 3:10 used to urge Christians to give with the understanding that God will literally give them back the same or more. These preachers and speakers missed the point because they didn’t include the verses that preceded it. 

The subject matter of the chapter is their breaking of His covenant. In the verses that head off the passage, Malachi 3:6-7, God is clearly talking about His character, and keeping His law—His command.

When I read Malachi 3:6-10, I hear God saying: I (God) don’t change, but you keep disobeying my decrees. Return to me and I’ll come back to you.

Then the example He gives of their lawbreaking is not bringing the whole tithe. 

They robbed God not because they didn’t give to God, but because they didn’t give the whole amount He commanded—the whole tithe. They did not obey Him. God specifically says, “test me in this.” In other words, trust that my Word and my promises are true. When He gives a command, and we honor it, the result is blessing. 

The abundant crops in a storehouse was a physical expression of that blessing for the Israelites—and a visual for us of God’s abundant promises. “Test me in this” is a challenge to find sufficiency in Him, His promises, His words alone, and to see what happens when we do. 

We bless others and honor God

Our giving can bless our church, a stranger on the other side of the world, or even our friends and family—because our gift doesn’t have to be a financial gift! 

Do you know of a couple with children who need a break and a night out? Step in to babysit and give them a restaurant gift card. You can provide meals for those in your church who are in need or going through hardship. You can give your time to an elderly person who would appreciate the company. You can serve at a homeless shelter by sorting donations. 

Giving cheerfully and generously blesses us as the giver, blesses the receiver as God’s provision, and ultimately brings glory to God.

Working toward becoming a cheerful giver can have the byproduct of helping foster relationships in our community as we help meet needs through or outside of our church. In doing so, we model the early church’s own cheerful giving in Acts 2:42-47 and Acts 4:32-35, and their unity and strength in numbers.

Giving cheerfully and generously blesses us as the giver, blesses the receiver as God’s provision, and ultimately brings glory to God. We honor Him as we obey the Word’s call to give.

Read more about the impacts of being a cheerful giver in this Goodsense article.  

Easy Ways to Cultivate Cheerful Giving

I genuinely believe that every Christian can give cheerfully, as their heart moves them. I’ve seen it happen in my own life. God inspires it through the Holy Spirit and in prayer.

A couple of months ago, while my husband and I reviewed our monthly budget, the Lord impressed on our hearts to carve out space for a generous gift or special offering. The need to do so came up repeatedly in prayer. Recently, he prompted us to assign that offering to a specific cause or person. By the way, we wouldn’t have been able to make the offering months prior because we didn’t make enough money. After much prayer, God made clear which missionary we should give that excess to in the new year. The special offering meant simply increasing our existing giving toward one of the missionary couples we support.

God provided for us, stirred our hearts and multiplied gifts for missionaries doing God’s work. The only part we played was listening to God and being obedient. God ordained and orchestrated the rest. We’re so happy to be able to contribute more toward their ministry!

My intent in sharing this with you is not to boast in our giving but in the God who stirs the desire to give and allows us to give abundantly. 

If you’re looking for how to be generous or work on becoming more generous, read on for two practical ways to cultivate a lifestyle of cheerful giving.  

Stay accountable by sharing about your giving

It’s always a good idea to involve family and friends in your giving, not to show off, of course, but as a way to keep you accountable. If you’re trying to get better at giving and giving cheerfully, tell someone. Have them ask you regularly if you’ve decided where you’ll give and the state of your heart as you anticipate the gift. Pray together for a cheerful gift on your part.

Additionally, you can make giving a family affair. Communicate and collaborate with your spouse on where you give financially. Tell your children what causes your household is actively giving toward. 

Many families choose to support a child through sponsorship programs like Compassion International. If you do, you can place the profile of the child you help support (sponsor) on your refrigerator as a simple way to display where you’re giving. Hopefully, viewing that profile so prominently becomes a memory your children carry into adulthood and a practice they aim to imitate. It also reminds you of the lifestyle of cheerful giving you hope to maintain.

If you’re giving to Jesus Film Project, print and display content from our prayer page, which often features least-reached countries that our partners and their work help to reach with the gospel.

Give on behalf of friends and family

Research opportunities to give regularly to keep giving fresh in your mind. Or explore different ways to give to stay motivated about giving and activate cheerful giving in your life.  

For instance, many organizations allow you to give in someone’s honor. Often, people give in the name of someone who has died, to honor their memory. But did you know you can also give on behalf of a friend or family member as a gift to them today?

This Christmas, Jesus Film Project is providing you the opportunity to give generously by merging your giving to missions with gift-giving to friends. Your gift also helps Christians everywhere share the gospel of Jesus in their local language. You can pick from several opportunities and give in a friend or family member’s name as their Christmas gift. Learn more about how you can give here. 

Final Thoughts

In the same way that sharing the gospel is a joy, so is giving. It’s a joy to imitate God the Father, whose ultimate gift (Jesus) gave us eternal life, whenever we can. If you ever feel that joyful spark to give, or are looking for more ways to give, visit jesusfilm.org/give.