Hello Vuku Family! from Grace Mission Church in Paarl

 

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 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. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

2 Corinthians 9:6‭-‬8 NIV

Written by Jung 

I must confess that I'm not good with money, so naturally, it took me a while to understand the meaning of offerings. When I was young, I tried to give to keep up with others, to at least be average. Other times, I did it to show my faithfulness, not to mention the guilt and internal shame I felt when I couldn't give. I also wanted to see how God would bless me in return. Once, I made a substantial offering (way more than I could afford), and it took me a while to forget about it. Does it mean I still remember and am still waiting to see how God will abundantly bless me in return? Haha.

However, I realized that the offering I was making did not align with other things I was doing for the Lord. Simply put, giving an offering seemed more complicated and worldly than other things. For example, when I decided to come to South Africa for the first time on a short-term mission, I didn't think about how much of my heart I wanted to give during the trip. My heart was fully committed. I didn't walk around the streets of Khayelitsha thinking, 'I am only giving 10% of my heart.'

It became much simpler when I tried to see monetary offerings the same way as my other works for the Lord. I was learning to give a monetary offering from my heart, just as any other service to the Lord should be. Then, it became joyful because I could see the fruit from my offering. I could see how it was being used to bring joy to His people.

Whatever we can give to the Lord and His people, I pray that you can give from your heart and truly enjoy the act of giving. God loves a cheerful giver, and I love my cheerful giving.