Cheerful giving is the result of the Spirit’s work
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)
I began a devotional mini-series on giving yesterday, with the key message that giving is an act of grace. Let me continue one step further today to explain more fully what this means. Cheerful giving is someone giving with joy and gladness of heart. The verse above says God loves a cheerful giver. He does not like it when we give grudgingly or with complaining in our hearts.
I shared before that the Spirit of God works in our hearts to make us willing to do something. This is the beauty of Christianity. God is not asking us to try to make it happen. He is asking us to allow Him to live His life through us. When the Spirit is at work in our hearts and makes us willing to give joyful, it is such a beautiful sight to behold. There is no better example I can think of in scripture than what happens when the Tabernacle was being built in the desert.
God commanded the people to give so that the Tabernacle or House of God could be built. The people gave so much that another commandment had to be given to stop them from giving ( Exo. 36:5-7)! Can you imagine that? This kind of giving was not normal. Certainly not the kind of giving you find in most circles today. God made the people willing, and they gave with joy. There was no pastor to manipulate and tell them how many blessings they will receive if they give. There was no promise of supernatural breakthroughs, marriages, healings etc. God made the hearts of the people willing, and they gave joyfully. He loves a cheerful giver.
I already shared before that the vast majority of the giving in our church circles today is not cheerful. Many of us are pressured to give. Others give, complain and grumble. Still, others get very emotional after hearing some preacher talk about countless testimonies of those who gave and had the kind of breakthroughs they are looking for. God does not like this kind of giving, and it is rampant. I have already discussed the issues about the so-called “prosperity gospel,” and you can listen to those teachings and read the articles. The goal of this devotional is to remind you that God pays attention to the way we give. His Spirit Himself will make you willing to give joyfully. And whenever you do, it brings great delight to Him.
I will repeat what I wrote yesterday that one of the godliest traits in your character is the attitude of giving to meet someone’s need. I will add that if you sincerely do not have a generous attitude, you should cry out to God to help you. I mean it! Ask the Spirit to work on your heart to make you both willing and joyful in giving.
MEDITATE
Who is a cheerful giver? Are you cheerful when you give or meet someone’s needs?
APPLY THE WORD
You do not need to pretend in Christianity. If you are not cheerful in giving, be honest, and take it before the Lord. Ask Him to help make you both willing and joyful in giving. Yes, it is this simple, just do it! If you are a cheerful giver, the Lord says increase more and more!
PRAY
Ask the Spirit of the Lord to help you grow in cheerful giving.
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