2 Corinthians 9:6-7 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.
That’s the gospel truth Friends; God LOVES a cheerful giver. So when we give, let’s not give grudgingly, or reluctantly, or because it seems necessary, will make us look good, or some such reason, but because we genuinely want to give, want to really help, to make a difference. It will accomplish two things; God will be pleased, plus our own spirit will be refreshed by that good natured giving. It’s surprising how that works. When we give grudgingly, it’s like pulling teeth; it tears us apart, pains us, makes us feel like we’re losing something near and dear. But when we give from a loving and genuine heart, it brightens and uplifts our soul. If you don’t believe me, try it sometime; give both ways. I’m sure you’ll notice the wide variation and the immense spiritual satisfaction the light-hearted, willing giving brings. Now you’ve got to do this with stuff of equal value, (smile) not give away something you love dearly, then something you don’t care about. But you know what, even that will boost your spirit, possibly not right away, but after a while you’ll certainly feel good about yourself, having given away something that you cherished to someone in need. It’s one of those laws of nature; the way God planned it. Just like if you sow sparingly, you’ll reap sparingly, whereas, if you sow aplenty, then you’ll reap aplenty. So those of us who are lazy, or want to do as little as possible, but expect to receive plenty, hn! Sorry, it doesn’t work like that. Whatever you give out, you’ll get back, so logically speaking, the more you give, the more you receive. But Friends, there’s one proviso: As Paul says, ‘Every man, according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give.’ Yes people, in whatever we do, the intentions of the heart, our reasons for doing it, are very important, because that’s how God judges us, not just on the act itself. So giving just because you hope to get back, doesn’t go down as well as giving because you genuinely want to help. Jesus did not have a lot of material possessions, but He was generous with His LOVE, friendship, mercy, kindness, forgiveness, healing, what ever He had. Like the poor woman, He praised, who could only give a mite, but she gave it with a willing heart. That’s the way we need to be my Friends. Whatever the Lord gives us is just for our stewardship, because we can’t take it with us. We’re supposed to work with it, increase and share it in some way that will benefit others. So people, whether it be time, money or some other material possession, let’s give generously of what we have now nuh, while working diligently to bring about an increase, so that we’ll have more to share in godly, productive ways. Much LOVE!
That’s the gospel truth Friends; God LOVES a cheerful giver. So when we give, let’s not give grudgingly, or reluctantly, or because it seems necessary, will make us look good, or some such reason, but because we genuinely want to give, want to really help, to make a difference. It will accomplish two things; God will be pleased, plus our own spirit will be refreshed by that good natured giving. It’s surprising how that works. When we give grudgingly, it’s like pulling teeth; it tears us apart, pains us, makes us feel like we’re losing something near and dear. But when we give from a loving and genuine heart, it brightens and uplifts our soul. If you don’t believe me, try it sometime; give both ways. I’m sure you’ll notice the wide variation and the immense spiritual satisfaction the light-hearted, willing giving brings. Now you’ve got to do this with stuff of equal value, (smile) not give away something you love dearly, then something you don’t care about. But you know what, even that will boost your spirit, possibly not right away, but after a while you’ll certainly feel good about yourself, having given away something that you cherished to someone in need. It’s one of those laws of nature; the way God planned it. Just like if you sow sparingly, you’ll reap sparingly, whereas, if you sow aplenty, then you’ll reap aplenty. So those of us who are lazy, or want to do as little as possible, but expect to receive plenty, hn! Sorry, it doesn’t work like that. Whatever you give out, you’ll get back, so logically speaking, the more you give, the more you receive. But Friends, there’s one proviso: As Paul says, ‘Every man, according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give.’ Yes people, in whatever we do, the intentions of the heart, our reasons for doing it, are very important, because that’s how God judges us, not just on the act itself. So giving just because you hope to get back, doesn’t go down as well as giving because you genuinely want to help. Jesus did not have a lot of material possessions, but He was generous with His LOVE, friendship, mercy, kindness, forgiveness, healing, what ever He had. Like the poor woman, He praised, who could only give a mite, but she gave it with a willing heart. That’s the way we need to be my Friends. Whatever the Lord gives us is just for our stewardship, because we can’t take it with us. We’re supposed to work with it, increase and share it in some way that will benefit others. So people, whether it be time, money or some other material possession, let’s give generously of what we have now nuh, while working diligently to bring about an increase, so that we’ll have more to share in godly, productive ways. Much LOVE!
..remember…it’s not how much we give…but how much of our hearts we give…
