音频：

视频：

•1关于供给圣徒的事，我本来不必写信给你们；2因为我知道你们的好意，常对马其顿人夸奖你们，说亚该亚人预备好已经有一年了。你们的热心感动了许多人。3但我差遣那几位弟兄去，要使你们照我的话预备妥当，免得我们在这事上夸奖你们的话落了空。4万一有马其顿人与我同去，见你们没有预备好，就使我们所确信的反成了羞愧；你们的羞愧更不用说了。5因此，我想必须鼓励那几位弟兄先到你们那里去，把从前所应许的捐款预备妥当，好显出你们所捐的是出于乐意，不是出于勉强。

这段经文的大多数内容适用于当时的哥林多教会而不是我们。但保罗强调的一点值得我们注意。他派出几个弟兄提前去哥林多，好让哥林多的信徒准备好为耶路撒冷圣徒的奉献。当他们提前准备好的时候，保罗说：“就显出你们所捐的是出于乐意，不是出于勉强。”希腊文本的字面意思是预先准备好的奉献是一种祝福，而不是一种剥削压榨。换句话说，哥林多人的奉献应该是充满喜乐的事，不是那种不得不做的事。

我认为这一点也适用于我们。如果我们提前计划好奉献，而不是临时起意的奉献，那我们就更容易喜乐慷慨的奉献。

你可能有不同意见，你有自由选择自己奉献的方式，但对我来说，有计划的奉献比临时起意的奉献更好。事先计划好的奉献会更好的提醒我奉献的动机（他成为贫穷，使我成为富足），有计划的奉献，可以使我们按着神给我们的祝福来奉献（而不是临时挤出一点来奉献），而且可以使我们有规律地定期的奉献（而不是常常忘记）。

祷告：主耶稣，愿你使我有规律的奉献，并让这种有规律的奉献成为我的一个提醒，提醒我在你里面有丰盛的恩典。你成为贫穷，从而使我成为富足。请教导我以一颗慷慨和感恩的心自由的奉献。阿们。

2 Corinthians 9: There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the Lord’s people. 2 For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. 3 But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be. 4 For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to say anything about you—would be ashamed of having been so confident. 5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.  (NIV)

Most of these words apply more to the Corinthians than they do to ourselves, but there is one point that Paul makes that is worth noting. He sent brothers in advance to get them ready for the gift they would give to the saints in Jerusalem. Paul says, “Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly giving.”  The Greek text literally says that it will be ready as a blessing and not as an exploitation. In other words, the Corinthians would give this joyfully and not because they had to.

        I think that point that we can make for ourselves is this. It is easier for us to give joyfully and generously if we plan ahead for our giving, rather than doing it spontaneously. Frankly, I appreciate the opportunity we have today to give electronically every week or month, rather than writing out a check and putting an envelope in the plate. You may feel differently. But I remember times when I would forget the monthly offering and then have to catch up two months later. And then it seemed like it was a hurdle for me to include in my budget. When I balance the checkbook at the end of the month, I rejoice when I see that my offerings have gone as planned. And if there is an opportunity to give more for a different purpose, I still have the joy of writing out a check or putting cash in the plate.

You may disagree and feel free to do so, but for me, planned giving is better than spontaneous giving. Planned giving gives me a chance to remember my motivation (“he became poor so that I might be rich”), to give according to how God has blessed me (instead of being in a pinch at that moment), and to give regularly (without forgetting).  

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, use my regular offerings to remind me of the riches of grace that I have in you, who became poor so that I might be forever rich. Teach me to always give freely from a generous and thankful heart  Amen.