Be a Joyful Giver January 1

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.

Some people say you can't buy love, well maybe you can't, but you can give it, and when you give, God loves it. It is not just about giving it is about the reason you give; I know Christians that almost live to give. But for most people, that does not come naturally; giving requires trust. If you give without doing it for God, you're trusting that you will have enough to cover the gift and still be able to meet your own needs.

When I first started tithing at a young age, writing that check seemed like an insurmountable obstacle, money that we could not afford. But somehow, we made it, and God generated faith within us by doing so. After a few trials, you enter into a state of joyful giving, where it is a pleasure to give. We will not see the results of our giving until we make it into heaven; however, a joyful giver will reap bountifully.

The word purposeth means to have reason to give. I remember a testimony of a man that went to heaven, and he watched the angels of churches turning in the tithes to another angel at a counter, the angels recorded who gave, how much, the date, the time, and the attitude of their heart. The last part of that sentence will make you gulp, and I know there have been several times when I automatically gave no joy or thankfulness, just money, which brings us to the words that stop your blessings, not grudgingly.

Not grudgingly comes from the Greek words: ἐκ, ἐξ Ek Ex, which means: to denote origin, the origin of your heart. Something else I find curious, the Greek letter Xi, ξ; to me, it looks like a serpent; you can see where this is going, or rather where it came from, the enemy. The agents of darkness will do everything possible to get you into a state of 'grudgingly' if he can accomplish this, he can prevent a bountiful return, and the lower the return, the less you can sow into the kingdom down the road. So, the next time you get a chance to give, put your dancing shoes on and share with Joy. And remember, like my old pastor used to say, “you can't outgive God.”

He is: El Roi

The God Who Sees Me

Blessings