“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).
You might chuckle when I share this but I learned the original Greek word for “cheerful” is our word “hilarious.” Paul was trying to convey God loves it when we love to give. It gives our Lord great joy when we feel good about giving to Him. It’s the same feeling when we have a good laugh that makes us feel good all over. God is not pleased if we give grudgingly or out of a sense of pride. He doesn’t want us to concentrate on how difficult it was to give or how much of a sacrifice it was to give. If that’s all we feel when we give, we are not giving with a cheerful heart. We might as well keep it in our pocket. However, if we purpose in our heart we are joyfully going to give no matter what our circumstances are, then we just need to give for His use. We will feel good all over like we have had a hilarious laugh. God would never use a word like “hilarious” but it sure makes Him smile when we give to further His kingdom with a joyful heart.
Sue Winchester MissouriPRAY TOGETHER: Are we still using our closets as prayer closets? Let’s pray about our special time in our personal devotions.
