Giving is a duty we are privileged to discharge, and it should flow from a willing, generous spirit rather than from the cynicism, weariness, and suspicion that constant appeals for our time, attention, and money breed. Fear is the main reason people give less, since they hoard and protect what they have against disasters that rarely happen. Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive," and Paul gave himself in sacrifice to the end, urging the Ephesian elders to throw off frustration and support the weak. Peter, noticing a beggar at the temple, gave what he had, and God through him gave far more than the money requested. What is meant to be given away cannot be kept without turning into something corrupt: kept life is lost, peace becomes passivity, Christ becomes bigotry, and money becomes mammon. Scripture teaches that we give without making return our motive, yet we may expect God's compensation. Sowing must precede reaping. The return may not be in kind, and God decides when, how, and what, so we give freely. Generosity extends to time, encouragement, kindness, and sympathy. Nobody outgives God; He increases the giver's power to give more, and the giver receives more than the recipient. Gifts also express love and produce thanksgiving to God.

God commands His people to appear before Him at appointed times without appearing empty-handed, requiring each person to give in proportion to the blessings received rather than according to what one can safely afford. This directive calls for thoughtful evaluation of resources through disciplined reflection and meditation on all that God has provided, lest human nature lead to under-giving through fear, self-centeredness, or failure to acknowledge His hand. Forgetting God's role produces insignificant offerings because no compelling reason remains to give back, as seen when Israel forgot the Holy One who delivered and sustained them. God first supplies the means for offerings, as when He made Egyptian spoils available to the former slaves so they could contribute generously toward the Tabernacle, even bringing more than enough. Such giving flows from recognizing that blessings are not the result of circumstance or personal merit but are granted partly to enable participation in His work. Failure to relate daily provisions to God's involvement severs cause-and-effect lessons and leads to attributing wealth to one's own power, a danger against which Deuteronomy warns by urging remembrance that God gives the ability to obtain wealth in order to establish His covenant. To bless God means to show Him kindness, favor, and respect in return. Seven times each year this remembrance prompts placing a monetary value on priceless spiritual gifts such as knowledge of His plan, forgiveness of sin, peace of mind, angelic protection, healings, guidance for marriage and child-rearing, and the understanding that trials produce growth. Those who sacrifice in giving, following David's resolve to offer nothing that costs nothing, receive the hundredfold promise given to those who leave all for Christ's sake rather than clinging to possessions as the rich young man did. Honest consideration of these blessings therefore prepares the heart for overflowing offerings that acknowledge God's continuous involvement.