Colleen Orchanian

When you say "thank you" to a Chick-fil-A team member, you will hear this response: "My pleasure!" And they say it like they mean it. They take seriously the idea of serving cheerfully.

Coincidentally, Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 9:7 that God loves a cheerful giver. The whole verse goes like this: Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

The question we must ask ourselves is, am I a cheerful giver? Let's look at some people in scripture who were not:

Jonah. He was called to preach repentance to Ninevah and instead went in the opposite direction. He gets eaten by a big fish, who spits him out on the shores of Ninevah and does his preaching – reluctantly. He is so successful that God spares the city and Jonah is mad. Jonah was not a cheerful giver of his time and prophecy.

Ananias and Sapphira (Acts chapter 5). They sold a piece of property and donated part of it to the church, but secretly held back some of the profits. Things didn't turn out well for them; both were struck dead. Peter told them, you didn't need to give anything. Nobody was forcing this, but you chose to do it and then lied about it. Ananias and Sapphira were not cheerful givers of their treasure.

The Prodigal Son's elder brother. The elder son stays and serves the father, but when the prodigal returns and is showered with gifts and a feast, the elder is angry. He resents the fact that he stayed and did his duty while his brother went and partied. The elder brother was not a cheerful giver of his life in service to the father.

Sometimes we are like these characters in the Bible. We are serving God but not with a cheerful heart.

We might have a bitter heart. We have these commandments and, by golly, we're going to keep them. We become sourpusses, thinking that we are losing out on something by doing what God commands. We wonder what life might have been like if we had sowed our wild oats a bit. It makes us sad and we long for a different life, but it's our duty to follow the rules, and so we do. Just not cheerfully.

We might have a guilty heart. I don't want to volunteer but someone asked so I must. I don't want to donate to that cause, but someone asked and I'll feel guilty if I don't. I don't want to help this person in need, but fine, I will give them something and maybe they will leave me alone. That is not cheerful giving.

We might have a prideful heart. I do so much around the church. Where are the others? Why isn't anyone helping me? Why don't I get any recognition? I should get some kind of appreciation for what I'm doing. That is not cheerful service.

What is happening when we aren't a cheerful giver – whether of our time, treasure, or talents? Where does this come from?

First and foremost, it's from the enemy of our souls, Satan, who wants to rob us of the reward for cheerful giving. When we enter into an act of service or giving willingly, it is a joy. We are God's instruments and are thrilled about that. We receive heavenly graces because of our service. The devil doesn't like any of that. He wants to steal it from us.

Other times we aren't a cheerful giver because we have not discerned well what God has called us to do. Most of us at some time in our lives have taken on more than we can handle. We have a paying job, little ones to care for, and we volunteer at church for three different ministries. We keep saying yes when we should say, Let me pray about it. We get mad because people keep asking for more, but we can't say no. That leads to resentment, and sometimes to self-criticism because we let others down. It's hard to be a cheerful giver when I have too much on my plate.

We might not be a cheerful giver when we are driven by what others might think or how they might judge us. A friend invites us to join her for dinner at a time when we are swamped with other commitments, but we don't want to hurt her feelings so we say yes. Then we're not very good company because we're stressed about the work that isn't getting done while we are having dinner. We aren't a cheerful giver of our friendship. We are too preoccupied.

What are some signs that you are not a cheerful giver?

• You complain about what you are doing for the Lord or the church. Cheerful givers don't complain because they love what they are doing, not because it's fun but because it's what God asked them to do.

• You compare your giving to the giving of others. Cheerful givers don't care how much others are giving because it is irrelevant. We are to give whatever God calls us to give.

• You are unpleasant when giving – for example, when volunteering at an event. Cheerful givers may not always feel great, but they don't show it when they are giving.

The Apostle Paul was a cheerful giver. He suffered all kinds of attacks and hardships that he lists in 2 Corinthians 11. But he’s not complaining. He says, I am content with all of this, for when I am weak, I am strong. He accepted the hardships and turned them into blessings.

If you're like me, sometimes you are a cheerful giver, and other times not so much.

So what is the remedy? How do we more consistently give cheerfully?

1. Make it a practice to discern what God is calling you to give – how God is calling you to give. He calls us to give our time, talent, and treasure. But what specifically does that mean for me – for you? It's unique for each of us. Take these things into your prayer time and ask God to guide your decisions.

2. Learn when to say no. We cannot say yes to everything – nor should we. When asked to help, we can respond, I'll pray about it. We don't have to give an immediate yes. And if we discern that God isn't calling us to say yes to a particular request, we should say so without guilt. It's not a rejection of the person who asked or a dismissal of the cause they support; it's an affirmation of God's will for your life.

3. Reflect on the times when you were not a cheerful giver. Search your heart to see why. Ask God to purify your heart so you can be different. Try to learn from this about how you can be a cheerful giver more often – more consistently.

God isn't looking for a bunch of robots to do His will. He doesn't want slaves who respond because it's their job. He wants us to serve with joy. When we are asked to do something for God, he wants us to say, with a whole heart, "My pleasure!" May that always be our goal.

Questions for prayer:

1. What are the situations when you find it most difficult to serve cheerfully? Why?

2. What change might you need to make to resist the spiritual attacks that make it difficult to be a cheerful giver?