2 Corinthians 9:6-7
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
In the Bible you can see how God mentions to us about the benefits of being a cheerful giver, and this as a sign of being in tune with the fruits of the Spirit.
Giving is an embodiment of the character of Christ, for it is behavior that demonstrates the essence of our Lord in person.
The act of giving can come in different ways: since we can give our time, our energy, our possessions, and even our opinions, likewise, we, the children of God, must give as a consequence of our own will, since to come From the bottom of our hearts, it will give us pleasure to be generous with our neighbors.
So, of course, the gifts and gifts that we give with love and a sense of commitment are the most motivating and stimulating for the spirit of the other person, and if so for them, even more so for God.
Therefore, giving does not simply make us happy, but it also makes us love God, for God has always loved a giver with eternal joy in his heart.
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What Does Cheerful Giver Mean?
The Joyful Giver in the Bible is the person who gives “seeds” and sows in other people, either to face their need or for their contentment, with the desire to do so in their heart. Giving with joy is the attitude with which a child of God should sow others, especially those in need.
In addition, the one who finds the right feeling will feel happiness after doing it.
The person who feels this happiness finds it impossible to hide his joy, because that joy will not only define how the other person feels, but also how the giver feels.
This is so beautiful that it even deeply impacts the heart of the person who receives it, and it also makes God happy.
“Remember this: a farmer who sows only a few seeds will get a small harvest. But the one who sows bountifully will get a bountiful harvest. Each one must decide in his heart how much to give; and do not give reluctantly or under pressure, “because God loves the person who gives cheerfully.”
And God will generously provide whatever you need. Then they will always have everything they need and there will be plenty to spare to share with others. As the Scriptures say: “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Your good deeds will be remembered forever »
For it is God who provides the seed to the farmer and then the bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.
Indeed, they will be enriched in every way so that they can always be generous; and when we take their offerings to those in need, they will give thanks to God. Then two good things will result from the ministry of giving: the needs of the Jerusalem believers will be met and they will joyfully express their gratitude to God. ” 2 Corinthians 9: 6-11 (NLT)
Attitudes To Avoid In Cheerful Giviving
The apostle Paul mentions two essential attitudes that the Cheerful Giver must avoid at all costs when giving:
Grudge
The Greek word he translated literally reluctantly means to confess or sadly. In the same way, we can infer that whoever gives reluctantly is saddened because he feels that he is detaching his belongings from his time or money.
Give out of obligation
The person who gives a gift or sows a seed out of obligation, inevitably feels pressured, and this attitude is completely the antonym of giving from the heart.
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Why become a cheerful giver?
There is a very famous phrase that states that we should give until it hurts, and when it hurts the most, in the same way, give even more. However, under God’s guidelines, giving is something very different.
As we have read, God demands that we give with joy. So what better inspiration than this? Knowing that God is happy when I give with joy. Let’s think about it in this same way, what son would be happy on his birthday to see that his father approaches with a gift, but he has a lot of sadness and a huge face of pain? Actually, believe it or not, the main joy of the child, is made to notice his father pleased to make him happy through gifts. In this same way, we can observe that God first of all desires the disposition of our heart in each seed that we sow.
So therefore you have these reasons why to be a Joyful Giver :
Because we personify Jesus Christ.
Giving is one of the ineffable characteristics of Jesus Christ, it is impossible for us to give generously without having the essence of Him really planted in our lives. When a man is really willing to give from the bottom of his heart, it is a response to the abundant grace of God that dwells in him.
Because we glorify God.
Being a Joyful Giver demonstrates our obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ once taught that we should shine our light before all men, so that they can see our good works, and glorify our Father who is in heaven (Read Matthew 5:16).
We the children of God, when we give to someone, when we help and when we are generous we glorify our Father.
Says Matthew 10: 8 that “you have received, freely give.” This tells us that we should be generous, because we cannot glorify God when we should use something we have to help someone and we do not. For everything we have has been by the grace of God, everything we have received has been given by God.
God wants us to sow.
God demands that we do not keep the seeds that he gives us, because our hearts should not only be to ask, but primarily to give. We know that the man who sows today will become a reaper tomorrow.
The Bible tells us that God has always known our heart, that is why He gives us seeds to those we sow. Each person can receive according to what he can sow, since it is impossible to reap from something that he has never sown. Whenever you sow the fruits of the Spirit of God, you will receive: I assure you that if you sow bread to the needy, there will never be a lack of bread in your house.
The spirit of Mammon and the Merry Giver.
In the book of Matthew, chapter 6, verse 24, Jesus informs us that we cannot serve two masters, for whoever loves one somehow hates the other. In this same way, we cannot serve God and at the same time love wealth.
In the Bible, the word that translates the word riches is mammonas, whose etymology comes from the word Mammon. Also the word Mammon has an Aramaic origin which, in a literal sense, means wealth. Basically Mammon is the god of material greed. It is to be understood that no one can serve God and Mammon at the same time. Mammon is a Chaldean god, who was invoked by the pagans to supply economic needs. The pagans when invoking this this God, they did it with the motivation of stopping more fortunes and with the fear of losing what they possessed.
The Joyful Giver shows that he is detached from the love of riches, in fact possessing them does not turn them into simple riches but into seeds. Ecclesiastes 5:10 says that ” whoever loves money will not be satisfied with money, and whoever loves having much will not bear fruit . ” For this reason, the cheerful giver breaks with those stigmata and God blesses him, because having goods in his hands, his love is mainly for God and never for material goods and money.
Methods and Ways to be a cheerful giver.
It is scientifically proven that being a Joyful Giver contributes to our happiness, as there are psychological studies that show that to be happy we must be generous. Likewise, the practice of the gospel involves thinking about others because happiness and salvation are not locked in mere selfishness. To be a cheerful giver, I invite you to read the following Tips, which will bring you closer by transmitting God’s love through generosity:
1. Model Jesus Christ.
The main way to be a cheerful giver is to act as the greatest giver of all that ever existed, the child of God. We know that he turned his back on riches and glory in the kingdom to come to earth of his own will and give us eternal life.
“By my example I have shown you that it is necessary to work hard to help those in need, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus:“ There is more happiness in giving than in receiving ” Acts 20:35 (NIV)
2. Fill yourself with God.
Giving is one of the main characteristics of a father to his son. When we emphasize the search for the presence of God in our intimacy, our life immediately begins to change, and the way in which we see these types of actions does too. So giving instead of being seen as a burden can be seen as a necessity or even a luxury.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (KJV 1960)
3. Think that you will make someone else’s life happier.
Regardless of the person we are giving, internalizing in our thoughts that what we do with our hands will fill another person’s life with joy becomes an incentive for us to give.
“If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. These things I have spoken to you, so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be perfect. ” John 15: 10-11 (NASB)
4. Don’t forget to be generous with yourself.
Self-love is essential to be able to love others, God adopted us As children so that we can understand the value we have, the Lord wants to maintain that esteem in us. If we understand the value we have as children of God, our self-esteem will increase considerably, and feeling good about ourselves is a stimulus to be able to be generous with others, because to love others, we must learn to love ourselves.
“And the second is similar: You will love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:39 (KJV 1960)
5. Accept the generosity of others.
Giving is sowing, reaping is receiving. The cheerful giver must learn to ingratiate himself in the giving of the other. Well, who puts in the heart of the other person is to be generous with you is God, so just as we give, being grateful with what we receive will make us more joyful.
“The generous soul will prosper; And whoever is satisfied, he also will be satisfied. ” Proverbs 11:25 (KJV)
Prayer to be a cheerful giver.
Daddy God, today I want to thank you. I thank you for life, I thank you for all the good you have done in me, and I thank you for this inspiration of yours, which today you allow me to read. I ask you, Lord, that what I have read adhere to my character. May my character become the character of Christ, so that in this way, I can be more and more agreeable to you. Lord, use me as a blessing to other people. I ask you to make me a good sower, and to give me seeds, which I can sow in fertile lands; seeds with your words, seeds of clothes, seeds of bread, and seeds of money, to bring joy to the lives of other people, according to the generosity that you put in my heart. I ask that your Holy Spirit convict my heart, so that I can give as well as the cheerful giver that you want me to be. In the mighty name of Jesus, so be it, Lord.
Amen!
