“God loves a cheerful giver.”

It’s one of those familiar phrases we hear so often that we almost wonder whether it only sounds like Scripture–like “God helps those who help themselves” or “Cleanliness is next to godliness.”

But this one is the real thing. In 2 Corinthians 9:7, Paul writes, “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.”

Notice what Paul does not say. He does not simply say, “God loves a giver.” He specifically says a “cheerful” giver.

If I pay my taxes–something I am obligated to do–I am not being generous. If I have to pay a fine, a penalty or a late fee, “cheerful giver” is hardly the phrase that comes to mind. Unless I’m an unusually enthusiastic citizen, those payments are made out of compulsion, not out of love.

They do not flow from a grateful heart.

True generosity does.

Generosity grows out of gratitude. If I recognize that everything in the universe belongs to God and I am merely a steward, there is a sense of responsibility. But when I recognize God’s goodness and grace toward me, giving becomes a joy. It becomes an opportunity to reflect him, bring him glory and participate in his kingdom work.

Stewardship, however, is not the same thing as indebtedness. What we have received from those who came before us is a gift. They no longer hold it, and we are not bound to preserve it in exactly the way they did. Yet we do desire to steward it well–to use it wisely, to avoid wasting it and to carry it forward in a way that blesses the next generation.

The tension of obligation vs. generosity is especially felt during the holidays. We can feel pressured to give gifts to certain people, and that pressure can overshadow the joy of giving altogether. Is it possible to guard our hearts during seasons like Christmas–to experience peace instead of pressure and paranoia? To give not out of expectation, but out of the love and gratitude the season is meant to awaken in us?

At that point, the dollar amounts and “just what they wanted” tasks become obsolete. I am sharing with them out of what God has done for me, rather than out of what I think I mean to them. I want their approval, but what if their approval has become an idol?

Genuine generosity is not driven by obligation, but by joy and love. Genuine generosity is not motivated by profit but by mercy and hope. If I am only giving because I am hoping for a measurable, self-satisfying return on investment, then I am still holding on to the gift. If I am giving so that I can be honored, recognized or have my guilt assuaged, then I am not wholly giving a gift but am at least in part purchasing pride or self-assurance. Are charitable organizations reduced to being dopamine dealers?

But generosity is not a transaction.

So what does it look like for love to be our motivation when we give–to the church, to those in need or to our neighbors?

It begins with remembering Christ.

It requires that the love of God is not just an idea, but a reality that has taken hold in our hearts. There is freedom in embracing that our purpose is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.

The ultimate example of true generosity has been given to us.

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death–even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5-11)