Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. – 2 Corinthians 9:7, KJV

During my college years, I took a strategic planning class for one semester. One of the key lessons I learned from the course revolved around customer service. All things being equal – such as comparable product, comparable pricing, decent marketing, good leadership, etc. – the one thing that sets a company apart from its competitors is quality customer service.

Chick-Fil-A is a prime example. At the time of this writing, I’ve never seen a dirty Chick-Fil-A. I’ve never encountered a rude Chick-Fil-A employee. I’ve never had to wait extended periods of time for my order to be fulfilled. As a result of these, and other, matters, I’ve never seen a Chick-Fil-A restaurant close, and I am sure that this is because people come back to Chick-Fil-A time and time again for both the quality food and the quality service.

In contrast, take Burger King. I have not purchased a meal at a Burger King restaurant in years. Since I rather like their hamburgers, I’ve not chosen to avoid BKs because of poor food. I’ve chosen to avoid BKs because of poor service. The last few times I shopped at various BKs, I found the restaurants dirty, I found the employees lazy and rude, and I suffered long, long waits before my orders were fulfilled. Apparently, I am not the only one who has encountered such problems, for almost every Burger King in my local market has shut down within the last three years – undoubtedly due to the poor customer service that drove patrons, like me, to go elsewhere.

Back to Chick-Fil-A. I never tire of hearing the clerks who wait on me answer my, “Thank you,” with the words, “My pleasure.” With those two words – and the smiles that always follow those words – Chick-Fil-A employees communicate to their patrons what a joy it is to give of themselves for the benefit of their shoppers. Although I don’t know for sure, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Christian founder of Chick-Fil-A, Truett Cathy, discovered the inspiration for his customer service program in the brief, powerful words of 2 Corinthians 9:7. As the Amplified Bible reads:

Let each one [give] as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver [whose heart is in his giving].

As the context of 2 Corinthians 9 indicates, the main focus of this passage deals with the giving of financial gifts. No doubt, however, it applies also to the giving of ourselves in non-financial service to others. We are to do everything we do for the glory of God, but when we grumble, nag, and complain when it’s time to work, we don’t honor God. We dishonor Him. God made us not to serve ourselves but to serve Him and others, and if we complain when it’s time to work, our complaint makes it clear that we’d much rather be about fulfilling our own lusts than fulfilling the needs of those around us.

When it is time to help others at home, at school, or on the job, are you cheerful? Are you quick to seize the opportunity to serve? Or, is complaint your frequent companion at such times? Your answers reveal whom you are focused on serving, and if they reveal that self is your highest priority, it’s time to ask God to help you obtain the proper focus.