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When Giving Hurts: Learning to Give With the Right Motivation | CBN Skip to main content Ask for prayer TODAY ON THE 700 CLUB Contact Us Login give now Home Menu Site search Site search Home give now Login Ask for prayer Toggle Menu The 700 Club Toggle Menu SHOW INFORMATION 700 Club | Home Latest Episode Show Information Guests Ask A Question Share Your Story Toggle Menu MORE SHOWS 700 Club Interactive 700 Club Canada Miracle Living Today Club 700 Hoy All Shows Toggle Menu Resources Learn More A New Day Booklet Toggle Menu CBN NEWS Toggle Menu BY CATEGORY News | Home US World Israel Entertainment Health Politics Toggle Menu BY SHOW Christian World News Newswatch Faith Nation Jerusalem Dateline Studio 5 Quickstart All Shows Toggle Menu Noteworthy Top Story 'Blown Away': Hundreds Saved and… Christians Fill Mile-Long Communion… Revival Grips Brazil's Amazon: 'We… Revival Grips Brazil's Amazon: 'We… Top Story Revival Grips Brazil's Amazon: 'We… Toggle Menu FAITH Toggle Menu RESOURCES Faith | Home Daily Devotional Get Prayer Topical Resources Toggle Menu FAITH JOURNEY Curious About Christianity New Christians Returning Christians Deepen Your Faith Share Your Faith Toggle Menu More Resources Today’s Daily Devotional Get Prayer Toggle Menu SUPERBOOK Toggle Menu CBN ANIMATION Kids | Home About Us Give to Superbook Toggle Menu SUPERBOOK Watch Full Episodes Kids' Website Superbook For Churches Get Superbook Get Superbook App Toggle Menu Get More Superbook Superbook Kids' Website Superbook Bible App Toggle Menu LISTEN Toggle Menu RADIO Listen | Home Praise Contemporary Southern Gospel Selah Instrumental Cross Country Toggle Menu PODCASTS Podcasts | Home A New Day Conversations From Studio 5 Navigating Trump 2.0 Quickstart The Lesson Toggle Menu More From CBN Radio Where the worship never stops! CBN Radio App Toggle Menu ABOUT Toggle Menu DISCOVER CBN About | Home Who We Are Careers People Financials Toggle Menu OUR MINISTRIES Operation Blessing Helping The Homefront CBN Israel CBN Films Toggle Menu DONATE Give Now Gift Planning Ways To Give Toggle Menu Learn More Watch The CBN Story CBN's Ministry give now Login Ask for prayer Toggle Menu The 700 Club Latest Episode Show Information Guests Ask A Question Share Your Story More Shows Toggle Menu CBN News U.S. World Israel Entertainment Health Politics Shows Podcasts Toggle Menu Faith Faith in Jesus Daily Devotional Topical Resources Faith Journey Bible Toggle Menu Superbook About Donate Watch Kids' Website Superbook for Churches App Toggle Menu Listen Radio Podcasts Toggle Menu About Who We Are Careers People Financials Ministries Gift Planning Site search Site search Home Search Contact Us Login give now Daily Devotional September 15, 2025 When Giving Hurts: Learning to Give With the Right Motivation Gary E. Roberts

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Link was copied! Have you ever had that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach when you cannot honor a financial commitment to God? We all want to be cheerful givers (see 2 Corinthians 9:7) and give until it hurts, but reality sometimes enters the picture like a giant Goliath, demanding attention. Yes, this was me after a major financial pledge to our church’s capital campaign. My buyer’s remorse inner turmoil was fueled by a perfect storm of uncovered health care costs for my wife’s breast cancer, my daughter’s lupus, another daughter’s wedding, ongoing monetary contributions in helping my disabled sister and elderly mother on fixed incomes, and most importantly—and the real elephant in the room—my spiritual pride for wanting to be a mover and shaker in our church. When we compete with the spiritual Joneses for a leading place of honor, we live by the sword of pride, and if circumstances change, we die by that sword of hubris. As it says in Proverbs 16:18 (NLT), Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.

How did I find myself in this predicament, and what did I learn from my sin and mistakes? It began with the rollout of our church’s capital campaign and a meeting of leaders explaining how important it was for us to set an example of biblical sacrificial giving for the rest of the congregation. The exhortations were biblically based, measured, and fair, including the foundational admonition to seek the Lord’s guidance through prayer, fasting, and Bible reading along with discussion with family, and the wisdom of Godly financial counselors. The pastors stressed that this “labor of love” ministry of giving was not an ironclad financial covenant, and we could adjust contributions based upon circumstances. I checked all those boxes, or so I thought. A few months later, after I proudly signed on the dotted line of my monetary commitment, a shadow of doubt started to pierce my peace as the financial strain from the issues I mentioned earlier started taking effect.

As the burdens became greater, I became more anguished and realized that I was in over my head, and unless the Lord turned my Titanic around, I was going to hit the iceberg. As the pressures mounted, the guilt, shame, and condemnation related to having to renege on my church commitment crushed me. As I cried out to the Lord for help, a small still voice whispered, “Look under the hood as to why you pledged this amount in the first place.”

This prompting began a process of painful but necessary heart surgery as I realized that the pledged amount was not really from the Lord, but from my desire to be a spiritual big shot. It broke my veneer of holiness and enabled me to humble myself and gather the courage to change my financial commitment. As it says in 2 Corinthians 8:12, Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. This was a valuable lesson that has helped me be a more cheerful and God-honoring giver.

Heavenly Father, I pray that we all will learn to hear your voice clearly and excel in the ministry of generous God-directed giving, according to our means. I pray that each reader will seek your will through prayer and fasting, receive wisdom from wise counselors, and test the spirits of our giving motivations to cast out all pride, recognizing that we all must live within boundaries and limits. To God be the glory!

~

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. 

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Link was copied! About The Author Gary E. Roberts

Gary Roberts joined Regent University’s Robertson School of Government in 2003 as a professor specializing in public administration and human resource management. He has been married to his sweetheart, Connie Roberts, for over 40 years and is blessed with three daughters and several (mostly!) angelic grandchildren. They also share a pet family of spirited cats from a stray mother and her three kittens. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Gary loves his home state’s hills and mountains and enjoys neighborhood cleanups and rescuing wildlife during his morning runs and walks. More

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