Merry Christmas! In light of this joyous season, I love to give as much as possible. My greatest joy is to give secretly, giving all glory and honor to God. I love when places made it easy to give out of the abundance of one's heart, and allow one to give anonymously.
A church I used to attend did not pass around the offering plate. Near the church exit, there was a cute wooden church with a slot in the roof to deposit an offering. I LOVED putting money in the church. I could do it quickly and without anyone noticing. It was also perfect for me because I often I forgot to bring money for the offering. Since the offering plate was never passed around, I could put money into the wooden church whenever I remembered to bring it with me. The wooden church seem to have removed all burden and guilt from giving. It was fun to put money into the church, and it was such a relief to not have others know if, when and how much I gave to the church. I found I was always excited to put money into the church. I would lift up a quick prayer, "Thanks God! It is such a joy to be able to have something to give. Thank you for the tremendous blessings."
At the beginning of each month, the church would print in the church bulletin how much money was collected. When I would see the amount collected, I wanted to give people high-fives and hugs. "Way to go everyone! Wow, God has truly blessed us again this month!" Although the amount I was able to contribute was tiny, it was glorious to see how my small contribution helped the whole church. Anyway I could, I tried to give as money as possible to the church, not because I had to, but because it made me so happy to do so. May this Christmas provide tremendous opportunities for you to give out of the abundance of your heart. "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corithians 9:7).
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