Attitude in Giving 2
Devotional Reading: Everyone must make up his own mind as to how much he should give. Don’t force anyone to give more than he really wants to, for cheerful givers are the ones God prizes. 2 Corinthians 9:7 (TLB)
The scriptures instructs us that we are to give cheerfully. “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7) The original Greek word for cheerful is hilaros, which is translated into the English word hilarious. What a picture that creates! We are to be joyful givers.
When was the last time you saw hilarity especially in church when asked to give offerings? The atmosphere more often always look like a patient in the sick bed waiting for painful injection . So how do we develop this hilarity in our giving? Consider the early churches of Macedonia: “We want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.” (2 Corinthians 8:1-2)
How did the Macedonians, who were in terrible circumstances, “severe trial” and “extreme poverty,” still manage to give with “overflowing joy”? The answer is in verse 5: “They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.” The key to cheerful giving is to yield ourselves to Christ and ask Him to direct how much He wants us to give. That places us in a position to experience the advantages of giving with the proper attitude.
Prayer and Confession
I am a cheerful giver, I give by faith, not grudgingly but with overflowing joy. Amen!
Further Reading: 2 Corinthians 8 & 9
