God Loves A Cheerful Giver

Daily Devotional – Wednesday, April 13, 2022
So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7

The following story appeared in Bits & Pieces on February 4, 1993.

“A mother wanted to teach her daughter a moral lesson. She gave the little girl a quarter and a dollar for church “Put whichever one you want in the collection plate and keep the other for yourself,” she told the girl. When they were coming out of church, the mother asked her daughter which amount she had given. “Well,” said the little girl, “I was going to give the dollar, but just before the collection the man in the pulpit said that we should all be cheerful givers. I knew I’d be a lot more cheerful if I gave the quarter, so I did.””

God Loves a Cheerful Giver

What would prevent us from being cheerful givers like the young girl? Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth gives us a clue. “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” (1 Chronicles 9:7).

Giving grudgingly means the heart is not willing. We give but end up feeling we have lost. We wish we never gave. This is detestable to God because He gives us life and its goodies freely and without complaining.

Of Your Own We Have Given You

Giving out of necessity means we are forced to give. We give because we are under pressure. Everyone else is giving and we feel we will be the odd ones out. God does not love this attitude because He is the source of everything.

Rather, God wants us to plan our giving. Our offerings should be a natural outpouring of our gratitude towards God for His goodness towards us. Like David, we should tell God, “For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You.” (1 Chronicles 29:14).

Prayer
Loving Father, make me a cheerful giver.