In assessing our offering, God looks at the motive of the giver. If anyone gives to God for the wrong reasons, He will not accept, let alone reward such giving.

“Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.”
Matthew 6:1

No matter how large, offering ill-gotten wealth to God can incur His wrath. God frowns at people who try to clear their guilt by tithing from stolen funds. He hates sin and anything given by a sinner. Proverbs 15:8 says:
“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is His delight.”

God taught me a lesson on my way back from Ilorin, Nigeria where I had gone to preach some time ago. I had refilled my car unknowingly with adulterated fuel and it wouldn’t start. While a mechanic was trying to fix it, the Lord taught me a lesson from that experience. He told me “I can’t accept offerings from many people because their gifts are a mix of clean and unclean sources.” If you add money made from shady means to those from clean sources and then give to God, the dirty money in the mix will contaminate the entire offering and make it unacceptable.

God is displeased with any offering given grudgingly; He will reject such. However, He loves cheerful givers (2nd Corinthians 9:7). Sometimes ago, I was at a service in another denomination. While the programme lasted, I grew tired of the numerous offerings we were asked to give so much that when they called for another donation, I angrily dipped my hand in my pocket to give. Then God said “Keep your money, I am not a beggar.” I immediately realised my mistake, asked for forgiveness and cheered myself up internally before giving the offering.

Please God with your offering; give cheerfully.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.