Pipes, Pitchers, and Cheerful Givers
Why does God love a cheerful giver, as 2 Corinthians 9:7 says? The answer may lie in how cheerful givers view the resources God has entrusted to them. Cheerful givers see themselves as “pipes” (like a water pipe) rather than “pitchers” (such as a milk pitcher). “Pipes and Pitchers” represent two very different approaches to investing our resources in God’s work.
“Pitcher people” see resource investment as a zero-sum game, “a situation in which one person or group can win something only by causing another person to lose it.”[1] Building a household budget is like a zero-sum game; increasing expenses in one area demands decreasing them in another because one’s resources are finite. This is how – as humans in a fallen world – we naturally evaluate investing our time, material, and emotional resources in God’s work.
Pitcher thinking says: “If I invest ‘X’ in the Lord’s work, I’ll have ‘X’ less for other uses.” Our thoughts run to, “Will I have enough? Can I afford to do this?” As a result, “pitcher people” give “covetously” out of compulsion, often with a dread of loss and privation (2 Corinthians 9:5).
As a pastor, I leaned toward pitcher thinking, especially when it came to people. The congregation I served was not large, so gifted and committed human “resources” were a precious commodity. However, these same gifted servants were often the ones called into full-time ministry away from our community. Sending them out joyfully felt impossible as I calculated our remaining resources without them and wondered, Who will teach this class? Who will lead this ministry? This was classic zero-sum thinking. I assumed if a sister ministry gained a valuable resource from our congregation, we would “lose.” The thought of letting these gifted people go often felt like a threat.
God offers no praise for this “pitcher mindset” when it comes to investing resources: “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion….” But on the other hand, “…God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
So… why does God love cheerful givers? Since God owns everything (Psalm 50:12), it cannot be because He needs anything and wants us to be cheerful about giving it to Him. Perhaps one reason God loves cheerful givers is that cheerful giving reflects a heart that sees God as the ultimate Source and Provider. Cheerful givers see themselves as “pipes” rather than “pitchers.”
While “pitcher people” give grudgingly in fear because they see only what is in hand, “pipe people” look beyond those resources to God Himself, the Source of everything. For them, the ocean of God’s limitless sufficiency washes away all fear, leaving only joy behind. Their giving flows from faith in Him and brings Him glory as the owner and provider of all things.
“Pipe thinking” transforms how we see our resources. As a pastor, it freed me to wholeheartedly encourage gifted people, including faithful elders, to pursue God’s calling even at the cost of their leaving our congregation. Seeing God as our congregation’s ultimate resource vanquished my fear of loss and grudging giving and replaced it with exuberant joy. Our congregation discovered the joy of being a channel of God’s unlimited resources for the furtherance of Messiah’s Good News.[2]
All fruitful service for the Lord requires investing our precious resources of time, talent, and treasure, and there are always opportunities to give. Perhaps you are struggling with giving the first and best of your income back to the Lord. You may have been asked to serve in a ministry, lead a Bible study, or to provide hospitality or meals for a shut-in. Or maybe you are considering a Life in Messiah (LIFE) short-term outreach trip or facilitating a LIFE representative coming to your church to share God’s heart for the Jewish people. Whatever the opportunity to invest may be, let us weigh the cost as “pipes,” not “pitchers.”
May we invest joyfully as conduits of God’s infinite abundance. God will love it!
For God loves a cheerful giver... And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed… For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God (2 Corinthians 9:7b–8, 12).
Written by Dan, Life in Messiah Board Member
Where are you most tempted to think like a “pitcher” when it comes to your time, finances, abilities, or relationships? What would it look like to trust God as the ultimate Provider in that area?
What might “pipe thinking” look like when supporting Jewish evangelism or sending workers to minister among Jewish people?
How might remembering that God’s resources are unlimited give us greater freedom to support both local ministry and the efforts to reach people around the world?
Endnotes:
[1] Merriam-Webster, s.v. “zero-sum game,” accessed September 6, 2026, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zero-sum%20game
[2] Many of these people are now serving fruitfully with Life in Messiah!