Two Kinds Of Givers

God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7

There are two kinds of givers:
those who give what's left over,
and those who give off the top.
The first group isn't necessarily greedy; they just operate by different principles. They see themselves as being responsible for meeting their own needs, so whatever's leftover goes to God's work.
The problem with giving left overs is that your generosity can never exceed your ability to meet your own needs. The moment you face financial uncertainty, generosity takes a back seat. God says He wants you to be "a cheerful giver." But if your heart is occupied solely with meeting your own needs, how can you heed God's call to be generous.

On the other hand, those who give "off the top" understand that God owns and controls it all, so they feel free to invest in His interests first and their own second. Leftover givers always struggle to let go in this area. They've heard the sermons, read the verses and listened to the testimonies. But they've families to feed, retirements to fund and markets to second guess so they hold back, afraid they can't manage all their financial responsibilities and give to God's work too.

Fear has the power to make you act contrary to your beliefs. In essence,fear makes you irrational. Isn't it rational to trust God with your finances, since all of it belongs to Him? Isn't it rational to trust God with something that's beyond your control anyway? Isn't it irrational to trust God with your eternal destiny, yet reject His invitation to be your financial partner?