| Giving Should Be | References |
|---|---|
| willing and cheerful | “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7; cf. 8:2–3). |
| a regular pattern of life | “On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up” (1 Cor. 16:2). |
| proportionate to one’s ability | “Each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper” (1 Cor. 16:2). |
| generous | “In a severe test of affliction, [the Macedonians’] abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave … beyond their means” (2 Cor. 8:2–3; cf. Prov. 14:21, 31; 19:17; 2 Cor. 9:6; 1 Tim. 6:18). |
| sacrificial | The poor widow with “two small copper coins” is commended by Jesus for putting into the offering “everything she had, all she had to live on” (Mark 12:42–44; cf. Acts 4:32–33; 2 Cor. 8:3). |