The Cheerful Giver
“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9.6-7
There is no lane for casual commitment to Jesus. There are only two lanes: we are either all in or we are not in. (From a recent message)
We talk a lot at Remedy about all of life being devoted to Jesus. That includes our time, our talents, and our treasure. He deserves all of it, and the joy we receive from yielding it all to him is not worth comparing to the things the world can give us. It’s not always easy, but it is so much more fulfilling.
So when we talk about money, we recognize that it all belongs to the Lord. We cannot receive even one thing if is not given from heaven (John 3.27), which means that everything we have, we have been given, and we are not owners, we are stewards.
Which brings us back to 2 Corinthians 9.7. God loves a cheerful giver because it delights his heart to see his children using his resources according to his purposes. And when we drop down to verse 11, we see it even more clearly:
You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 2 Corinthians 9.11
When God gives, whatever he gives, he gives so we can give, and give generously. (Is that enough “gives” in one sentence?)
Generosity as a Value
As we follow Jesus together, and as we experience the riches of the gospel in our own lives and in our church, it is our hope that each of us will be motivated to live generously with our time, our possessions, our talents, and yes, our money.
Sure, we talk about giving from time to time, and our hope in these conversations is that the emphasis will never be on money or tithing or finances. The emphasis is always on living generously, giving freely of everything we have because we have freely received much more than we could ever give. We give to see the Kingdom of God expand.
A New Way to Give
With that thought in mind, we have a new option for giving called text giving. Text giving is exactly what it sounds like: giving through a text message, and it’s super easy.
Here’s how it works:
- To begin, just text the word “give” to 844.338.4909 (our dedicated number).
- You will get a reply with a link to start an account and input your payment method. You will only have to do this the first time.
- Save the number in your phone, and text any of the below options to our dedicated giving number.
Simply text (without the quotes):
- A number to give that amount. Eg: “100”.
- A number and fund to designate your gift. Eg: “100 Missions”.
- Add “cover” to cover fees of one transaction. Ex: “100 Offering cover”.
- Add “Cover fees on” to cover fees on ALL text gifts..
- A number and schedule for automated giving. Eg: “500 Monthly”, “100 Tithe Bimonthly”, “50 Offering Weekly”, or “250 Fortnightly”.
- “Cancel Auto” to cancel automated giving.
- “Cover fees off” to turn off cover fees on all text gifts.
- “Card” to add a new payment method.
- “Refund” to refund your last transaction.
- “Options” to see the initial list of options again.
For the most creative among us, you can even set up certain emojis to give.
Of course you can always give using one of our other methods. If you want to talk about your finances and how to live generously, that is a conversation we would love to have!
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