DEVOTION – DAY 486

2 Corinthians 9:7-8 “Giving Cheerfully To God”

2 Corinthians 9:7-8 “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

These verses encourage Christians to examine their own hearts before giving to God. God does not need our giving because ultimately, everything belongs to Him. We are just custodians of all that God has blessed us with. What we have belongs to God. What interest God more, is that when we give something back to Him, we should be giving it to Him with a cheerful heart. It should not be out of compulsion, or feeling that we have to, or that we owe Him something, or we give to God hoping to get back something in return. This is giving with an ulterior motive. 

When we give willingly and cheerfully to God, the Lord will bless us abundantly. The abundance will come in the form of His enablement for Christians to abound in generous deeds on His behalf. We will find that we have the time, resources, and energy to do great things for the Lord. The work would be effective and bear much fruit. This is what abundance means. The Lord will bring alongside willing co-workers and there will be joy in serving together as we see the benefits of the work for the Lord. 

We know a man who was asked to serve in a new ministry. Serving would mean that he would have to sacrifice a hobby he enjoyed. He loved to play golf. If he were to serve, he would have to give up playing golf in the mornings when it was considered the best time to play, as it is cool and pleasant time to play. After thinking about it, he chose to serve. He knew he could still play golf, but at a more unsociable time of the day. when it is hotter. He realized he had made the right decision, because his ministry grew and prospered. Many were blessed by his ministry. The Lord brought alongside others who were willing to serve with him. In the end, he served for more than 12 years and he was a blessing to many. He had learnt that God would bless him abundantly when he gave cheerfully to serve the Lord. 

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we thank you for this reminder that you love a cheerful giver. Please help us to always give willingly and cheerfully to serve you, trusting that you will use our service and giving, to expand your territories and for your glory. We pray this in the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. How is the Lord asking you to give of your time and resources to serve Him? What is your response? 
  2. Are you giving cheerfully and willingly? Or are you giving as if by compulsion?
  3. How have you been blessed as a result when you have sacrificed time and resources to serve the Lord? Share.
  4. How does your experience encourage you to continue to give more of your time and resources to serve the Lord?