The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.  Proverbs 11:25, NKJV

Several years ago, I tuned in to the K-LOVE morning show just in time to hear the DJs asking a question that I had just been asking myself: Are we supposed to tip at walk-up counter, fast-food restaurants? It has become the new norm for a tip-line to show up on fast food receipts -- Taco Bell, Panera Bread, etc.  As I've signed receipts or pay screens at such establishments -- with the cashier waiting and watching -- a mental battle wages: Is this tip expectation appropriate, or am I just being stingy? If you're like me, you sometimes find yourself responding to opportunities to be generous with a heart that defaults toward guarding or grasping rather than giving.  Generosity may not come naturally to us, but according to the Bible there's a divinely appointed blessing in it.

THE SPIRIT OF HEAVEN

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Cor. 8:9, NIV

When we are invited to give, our first thoughts often go toward assessing our own capacity to give, the availability of our own resources, or our sense of alignment with the cause we'll potentially give toward.  But in 2 Corinthians, Paul calls us to focus our first thoughts on Jesus and what He has given for us.  Opportunities to be generous -- not just with tips, of course, but also generous with our time and energy -- are opportunities to follow the example of the One who first gave Himself for us, to walk in the footsteps of the God whose immediate impulse is to pour Himself out for you and me.  This is the heart of God and the very spirit of heaven itself.  Ellen White describes it like this:

The spirit of liberality is the spirit of heaven. This spirit finds its highest manifestation in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross...The cross of Calvary should appeal to the benevolence of every follower of the Savior. The principle there illustrated is to give, give. (The Acts of the Apostles, 339)

If the "spirit of liberality" and the principles of giving are what characterize the spirit of heaven, then

opportunities to share with others are really invitations to participate in the very atmosphere of heaven.  

If we find ourselves struggling to give freely, let's pause and look to the One who has already given Himself freely to us.

PURPOSEFUL GIVING

So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7, NKJV

Back to the fast food tip-line. Aside from the unsettled question of appropriateness, there are some things about that particular scenario that expose my heart's hangups about giving in general. The unexpected nature of that option on my pay screen causes me to feel hurried and put on the spot about the decision to be more generous than I was originally planning on. I think those are the very dynamics Paul wanted to avoid with the believers in Corinth:

Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation. 2 Corinthians 9:5, NKJV

Being asked (or expected) to give when not previously planning to give can turn one's giving into a response of guilt and obligation rather than joy and dedication. Whether it's giving more at a fast food restaurant, giving time to a friend in need, or giving to the local church budget, here's a simple, practical principle:

GENEROSITY THAT IS BOTH GENUINE AND CHEERFUL COMES FROM GENEROSITY THAT IS PURPOSEFUL.

This isn't to criticize those restaurants, friends, or churches that ask of us, but I hope we can see the need to make the choice to be generous apart from and before the moment of request as much as it is within our power to prepare ahead of time. The kind of cheerful giving that God seeks is one that gives out of intentionality and purpose, not heartless impulse and pressure. 

In whatever context we have opportunity to invest ourselves for the sake of someone or something else, we typically find ourselves less cheerful about that investment when there's less time to prepare for it. But the more we ready our hearts and resolve to give of ourselves in advance, the less grudging and more joyful we'll be. Think about Jesus, the greatest Giver known to the entire universe. His "unspeakable gift" (2 Cor. 9:15, KJV) was not a whim. He didn't choose to give His life as a ransom for many under the pressure of humanity's need in the heat of the moment as it were. His self-sacrificing gift was planned "from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8, NKJV)!  And when the moment of ultimate sacrifice came, the Bible says He endured the cross "for the joy that was set before Him" (Heb. 12:2, NKJV).

Let's be the kind of people who look to Jesus' example of giving and follow His example in actually preparing to give.  We may not be able to anticipate every circumstance or situation that will come our way.  We may not be able to discern every resource that will be asked of us in a day.  But we can purpose in our minds to open our hands and hearts to the needs God leads us to encounter.  And when we do, it's my prayer that we'll cheerfully experience the gift of giving.