Note 5 at 2 Cor. 9:7: Believers are to give as they purpose in their heart and not from pressure. The verb "purpose" means, "to resolve or intend to do." Anyone who gives under coercion is not pleasing God with his gift, regardless of the amount or fanfare associated with the gift. Reluctance (see note 2 at v. 6, above) or giving under compulsion is not pleasing unto the Lord. God loves a person who gives because he wants to-joyfully, willingly and cheerfully. Giving with the wrong motive has invalidated many Christians' giving (see note 6 at 1 Cor. 13:3, p. 938).

Note 6 at 2 Cor. 9:7: The New American Heritage Dictionary defines "grudge" as "to be reluctant to give or admit." The Greek words "ek lupe," which were translated "grudgingly," mean "EK-out of" and "LUPE-sorrow, pain, grief, annoyance, affliction." The Greek word "lupe" was translated "sorrow" 11 times (Lk. 22:45; Jn. 16:6, 20-22; 2 Cor. 2:3, 7; 7:10 [twice]; Phil. 2:27 [twice]; "heaviness" twice (Rom. 9:2; 2 Cor. 2:1); "grievous" once (Heb. 12:11); "grudgingly" once (here); and "grief" once (1 Pet. 2:19). Therefore, anyone who gives out of sorrow, pain, grief, annoyance, or affliction is not a cheerful giver and is not pleasing God with his gift (Heb. 11:6).

Often we hear testimonies of how someone was led to give a certain amount to the Lord but he resisted that leading. The Lord kept prompting him and finally he gave in and then shared with the church how he gave out of sheer obedience, not because he wanted to. Everyone applauds, but in reality, that is a sorry testimony. That is not the cheerful attitude that the Lord loves.

Most people go through stages of giving similar to stages of growth in training our children. First there is the obedience stage where we train our children to do the right thing just because we told them to. They don't have the capacity to understand completely, but they need to establish positive patterns even before their reasoning is mature. Likewise, when we first come to the Lord we need to establish this foundation of obedience.

Next, a child begins to imitate his parents' actions. This would be similar to being led by the Holy Spirit in our giving. The Holy Spirit becomes our guide and He wants us to emulate Him. There is great benefit to ourselves and others from being led by the Holy Spirit in our giving. Yet, there is still another level of giving to which Paul is referring here.

The ultimate motivation for giving is to give as we purpose in our heart, as Paul is describing here. This is comparable to a son who is serving, not just out of obedience because he fears punishment, or because he is motivated by the example of his parent (what if the parent isn't present), but because his heart has been affected to the point that it is his desire to do what's right. That's what every parent longs for and that's what the Lord desires in our giving.

If the only time we give is when the Lord tells us to, that is comparable to a child who only says he loves his father when he is told to do so. Although there is a time when that is proper, it is not the ultimate. There needs to be those times when the child says he loves his father just because that is what is in his heart.

It is true that God will tell us to give specific amounts of money at times to help meet the need of someone else or for our own personal benefit. However, it is also appropriate to give just because we want to. Those who only know how to respond to commands or specific leadings of the Holy Spirit in their giving will miss bringing joy to the Lord through their unsolicited, cheerful giving.