From Rote Obedience to Joyful Giving

Discovering Freedom When Everything Belongs to Him

By Joanna Eccles

Growing up in my home, D-E-B-T was a four-letter word. Owing money was something we avoided. When I was 12, my family had some debt. It dangled over us like a saw, threatening to chop us up. When that money was repaid, a load lifted. My takeaway—hoarding money equaled security.

Moving into adulthood, my friends teased that I could squeeze a quarter out of a dime. I didn’t have a set budget. Instead, I only bought necessities. I considered myself thrifty. My friends thought I was miserly.

I always tithed to my local church because that money belonged to God. I felt good about myself. Then the Lord challenged me in my late 20s. He revealed that I’d put my trust in my bank account instead of Him. God wanted me to seek His provision instead of relying on my own income.

To stretch my faith, I felt led to buy dessert for a couple of ladies after Bible study. While we discussed God’s Word, I experienced a shift in mindset. I realized that investing in people with money for Christian fellowship blessed all of us (Luke 6:38).

When God Challenged My Trust

Next, God revealed that He didn’t own 10 percent of my income, He owned 100 percent. I couldn’t give anything to the Lord that He hadn’t already given me. First Chronicles 29:14 says, “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.” When we see our possessions as gifts from God to steward well, it breeds generosity. Greed flees.