Blog Posts
God Loves a Cheerful Giver
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Cor 9:6-7)
God loves a cheerful giver. We obviously most often attach that phrase to the giving of money because of the immediate context in Paul's second letter to the Corinthians. But take a moment to think about the overall principle. God loves a cheerful giver. Giving is good, but not if the giver has a begrudging or bitter heart. Cheerfulness is good, but not if it's rooted in self-absorption and dependent upon getting my own way all of the time. God loves a cheerful giver.
"Giving" can take all sorts of practical forms today.
- A helping hand
- A kind word
- An encouraging email
- A note of praise
- An expression of thanks
- A call of concern
- A loving rebuke
- An act of self-sacrifice
- A readiness to yield
- A reassurance of hope
- A meek answer to a sincere question
- A calm response in a stressful situation
- A beginning to a conversation
- A stand against injustice
- An invitation to teach
- A zeal for mentoring
- An eagerness to listen
- A sincere apology
- A word of perspective
- A willingness to share the gospel
Do you want to lead the sort of life that God loves today? Be a cheerful giver.
