EVERY MAN
“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” II Corinthians 9:7
In some respects, the specifics of God’s will for each of our lives is going to differ. But in other ways, He wants the same thing for each of us. Our text begins with the words, “Every man.” There are certain things that God would have true in every one of us. This passage of Scripture is part of a larger context that gives great instruction on the subject of “grace giving.” Paul’s writing to the Corinthian church explains in detail how each of us is to trust the Lord to guide us as we give. For “every man,” this is a decision to be involved in giving, as stated, “so let him give.”
Certainly God enables some people to give more than others, but He wants all of us to be involved in giving to His work. If He so desired, God could finance all of His work without our participation, but He has chosen to use us. One of the reasons He uses us as He does is for our benefit. It is good for us to be givers. It is not to our advantage to be selfish or stingy.
Also, this should be a spiritual decision for every man because our giving should be “as he purposeth in his heart.” We should seek the Lord about it and let Him guide us in our hearts as we purpose to give. Grace giving is not giving what we think we can afford, or comparing our giving to that of others. It is a matter that we trust God to lead us in. Then God would have “every man” give willingly, “not grudgingly, or of necessity.” If a person gives something because he feels forced to, it will not be the offering of love that God desires. He wants our giving to be from a heart that is willing. In addition, He wants “every man” to be a “cheerful giver.” Giving should bring great joy to the heart of the giver. It is an expression of love.
God wants to include “every man” in His great work. There is something for all of us to do. In our churches, God wants us to be involved in serving and giving. He wants to use each of us individually for the overall good. What a difference it would make if every church member were doing his part! Every person could be praying, serving, giving, witnessing, and loving. This is God’s design. There should be no freeloaders in the Lord’s army. “Every man” has a contribution to make.