2 Corinthians 9:5-7 “Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness.
But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”
If someone is cheerful, it means that they are happy, joyful, or merry. This will often be evident or visible in a person by their demeanor or the sound of their speech. For example, someone may say the words “thank you” but it is the tone or inflections in the voice that you can tell whether they are truly cheerful or not. The opposite of cheerful is depressed, miserable, or sad.
If you received a gift from someone, but they didn’t seem like they really wanted to give it to you, how would you feel? Instead of a smile as they gave you a gift, what if they had an angry, frustrated expression that said “why do I have to do this?”? It would seem very awkward, wouldn’t it?
Well, the Bible teaches us that God loves a cheerful giver. He loves it when someone gives, not because they have to, or are forced to, but just do it out of the love that is in their heart. That is a true way to know when someone cares about you, when they do something that they weren’t even asked to do, and ask nothing in return.
The greatest example that we have is our blessed Lord Jesus, Who gave His life to save us. Not because He was forced to, but because of His love.
John 10:14-18 “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”
After reading that, I will circle back to the passage of Scripture at the top of the page. Paul instructed the church that, if they wanted to give to the work of the Lord, then they should prepare what they wanted to give far in advance before he even came there, so that whatever they chose to give would be given out of a cheerful heart. He didn’t want them to feel forced or pressured to give anything. If they did decide to give something, they needed to do it out of the love in their hearts.
Give because you want to, not because you are forced to. Give because you love the Lord, and want to support those who spend their time helping others grow in their faith.
In Christ,
Andrew
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 