Cheerful giver?

When Ryan called me this morning to inform me that the stir-fry he had the previous night was making an ugly come-back tour, I felt a little nervous about doing the second half of a sermon I hadn't prepared for. Ryan did a great job of preaching the first half of Philemon last week, and I was going to have to pick up the slack in his absence this morning. All said, I think the Spirit moved me as the text came smoothly and the message was straight forward. It's a wonderful experience to preach the Word and be convicted by the Word at the same time. One of the major points that Paul kept hitting on me this morning was from verse 14 where Paul writes "...but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord."

Earlier Paul wrote in verse 8 "Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment." Paul could have commanded Philemon to release Onesimus without sending him back, but he did not. He instead chose to let Philemon release Onesimus on his own accord, with a glad and generous heart.

As a father and husband, I have many duties to fulfill. In fact, my job is NEVER done. At times, when I'm tired and especially grouchy, I don't always do my duties as a father and husband with a loving, glad and gracious heart. Sometimes I'm downright bitter about the whole thing. God is NOT pleased with service done in this manner. 2 Corinthians 9:7 states: "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." If we offer our tithes, our services, our time in any matter not willfully and cheerfully, we are not pleasing God. This is why works aimed at pleasing God or to earn our salvation is so insulting to God. Jesus completed the works required to please God the Father, so we should do our duty out of worship and reverence and thankfullness to our loving and gracious God, not one that reluctantly does their duty out of compulsion. We all do this, and we need to repent for it.