This article appears in the Fall 2025 issue of the FCA Donor Publication. The FCA publication is a gift from our FCA staff to all donors giving $50 or more annually. For more information about giving, visit here.

Charitable giving is at the heart of leaving a godly legacy. The Bible repeatedly underscores that giving generously is a form of worship, service and glorification of God.

Generosity is fundamental to God’s nature. Giving is what we do, but generous is who we are. There’s a big difference: Giving is an action; generosity is a mindset.

The New Testament calls believers to give not from obligation, but from joy. Second Corinthians 9:6-7 says, “The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver.”

Worldly Versus Kingdom-Minded Giving

In a world that often values accumulation, the mindset of cheerful giving stands as a testimony to the enduring heartbeat of faith — and the legacy that matters most.

So what does cheerful giving look like in practical terms? Society often suggests a me-first approach to giving: Live first, save second and give third. By contrast, God calls His followers to radical, Kingdom-minded generosity: Give first, save second and live third. This upside-down approach can be challenging, but it models the priorities Christ taught throughout the Gospels.

If I could sum up my overall giving strategy and advice in one sentence, it would be this: Do your giving while you’re living so you’re knowing where it’s going and can experience the difference it’s making in the lives of the people and charities you love.

You can achieve cheerful giving through what I call the “Five Great Financial Goals of Life”:

Goal No. 1: Financial Independence for Life

This is the endowment of a comfortable and worry-free retirement, with no compromise in lifestyle or real concern about ever running out of money.

Goal No. 2: Transfer Wealth to Children

This is the need and desire to intervene meaningfully in the financial lives of your children during your lifetime from your estate allocation legacy.

Goal No. 3: Provide Educational Funds for Grandchildren

This is the ability to fund in whole or large part the education of your grandchildren.

Goal No. 4: Provide Funds to Care for Family Members

This is the need and desire to intervene meaningfully in the financial lives of your parents, family members or special friends during your lifetime from your estate allocation legacy.

Goal No. 5: Fund Charitable Legacy

This goal reflects your ability to make a meaningful legacy to a much-loved church, ministry (such as FCA), school or another charity during your lifetime from your estate allocation legacy.

As you think through each of these five goals, ask yourself the following questions:

• How much is enough for each great financial goal?
• How much should I allocate to make a meaningful contribution to during my lifetime?
• How much should I arrange to allocate through my estate allocation legacy after the Lord calls me home?

A Legacy That Endures

If you want to talk strictly black-and-white numbers a moment, strategic giving (especially during one’s lifetime) can offer substantial benefits, including tax advantages and the joy of witnessing the positive impacts firsthand. Gifts of appreciated assets, such as stocks and real estate, magnify these benefits, resulting in up to 40% income tax savings plus and additional 10% to 20% capital gains tax savings.

But at its core, cheerful giving is about more than financial transactions; it’s a mindset that shapes families, transforms communities and honors God. Using time, talent and treasure in pursuit of cheerful stewardship allows each person to play their unique part in a larger story — God’s great, ongoing story of redemption. It’s a significant expression of love, faithfulness and a desire to make a lasting impact in your family and the advancement of God’s Kingdom.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for the opportunity to experience the joy of cheerful giving. Through Your Spirit, please kindle in us the desire to become great stewards of Your gifts. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

BIO: Jim Wyland founded WealthStone Family Office and has enjoyed pursuing his life work for more than 50 years by partnering with amazing entrepreneurs as their business and wealth consultant. Jim has been on a legacy journey with FCA for more than 55 years, starting in college as an athlete at Ohio State where he served as a Huddle captain. Jim has remained highly invested in FCA over the years, serving on local boards, regional boards and for 12 years on FCA’s Board of Trustees. In 2014, after almost 40 years of consistent giving to the ministry, he was honored with an FCA Ring of Honor plaque as a $1,000,000 lifetime donor. Jim has four sons who reside from coast to coast and four grandsons.

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