This document discusses the importance of being a cheerful giver as taught by Jesus Christ. It notes that Jesus willingly sacrificed himself to save mankind from sin, and that the greatest motivation for giving should be to please God and reflect his gift of salvation. The document also states that giving is a requirement for all Christians to share their blessings with others in need. It quotes several Bible passages that teach we cannot out-give God and that He will bless generous givers abundantly.

1. The Cheerful giver– 10th
August 2017
“Give,andit will be given to you. A goodmeasure, pressed down,shaken together and runningover,
will be poured intoyour lap” (Luke 6:38).
We can learnto be a cheerful giverbystudyingthe greatestgiverthisworldhaseverknown:Jesus
Christ.Leavingbehindthe richesandgloryof Hisheavenlykingdom, He came toEarth and willinglygave
His life sothatwe could be savedfrometernal disaster. GodpredestinedHischildrentobe conformed
to the likenessof HisSon aswe can learnfrom Romans8:29,“For those Godforeknew he also
predestined to be conformedto the imageof hisSon, that he mightbe the firstborn amongmany
brothers andsisters.” He came to save mankindfromsin.He was ridiculed,spaton,whipped,made to
sufferandwasput to deathon a cross. He willinglysacrificedhimself tosave us…aselflesssacrifice.
There can be no betterwayto emulate JesusChristthanbygivingselflesslythe wayHe did. We can read
inthe bookof Acts that Jesustold itismore blessedtogive thantoreceive aswe can read in Acts
20:35,“In everything I did,I showed youthat by this kindof hard work we must help the weak,
remembering the words the Lord Jesus himselfsaid: ‘It is more blessedto give than to receive.” Quite
simply,then,ourgreatest motivationforcheerful andgenerousgivingshouldbe thatitpleasesthe Lord
and reflectsHisgiftof salvationtous.
Whenwe read Paul’s secondlettertothe Corinthians,itrevealsanumberof inspiringtruthsthatshould
helpusbecome more cheerful givers.As he wiselyadmonishedthe Corinthians asfoundin 2
Corinthians9:6,“ Remember this:Whoever sowssparinglywill alsoreap sparingly,andwhoever sows
generouslywill alsoreap generously.” More than a thousandyearsearlier,thiswasalsostatedby King
Solomon:“Honorthe Lord with yourwealth, withthe firstfruits ofall your crops;then yourbarns will
be filledto overflowing.” Givingisanimportantrequisiteforall Christians.We have toshare our God
givenblessingswithotherswhoare needy.Because Jesus ChristHimself toldus, “Give,anditwill be
givento you.A good measure,pressed down, shakentogether andrunningover, will be poured into
your lap” (Luke 6:38). Indeed, we canbelieve asChristiansthatgoodwill come tohimwhoisgenerous
as saidin Psalm112:5, “Goodwill cometo those who are generous andlend freely, who conducttheir
affairswithjustice.”
Thisprinciple isunfailinglyclear—wecannotout-giveourgraciousCreator.The more we give inservice
to the Lord, the more we will getinreturn.In fact,the onlyplace inthe Bible where Godinvitesusto
testHim isMalachi 3:10, “Bringthe wholetithe into the storehouse, that there may be foodin my
house.Test me in this,” saysthe LORD Almighty,“andseeif I will not throw open the floodgates of
heaven andpour out so muchblessingthat there will not be room enoughto store it.” Here He is
talkingaboutour offeringsmade untoHim:“Testme inthis,saysthe LORD Almightyandsee if Iwill not
throwopenthe floodgatesof heaven…Once more,the wordsof Solomonecho inProverbs11:24-25,
“Oneman gives freely,yet gainseven more; another withholdsunduly,butcomes to poverty. A
generous manwill prosper; he who refreshes others will himselfberefreshed.”
As Paul stated,“Godlovesa cheerful giver.”We can readthisfrom 2 Corinthians9:7, “Each ofyou
shouldgivewhat you have decidedin your heart to give, not reluctantlyor under compulsion, forGod
loves a cheerful giver.” Cheerful giving,therefore,shouldbe awayof life forthe Christianwho
understandsthe grace of God and that teachesusthe needtoshare Gods giftswithothers. Jesus

2. teachesusthe secondof the greatestcommandmentsas: “Andthe secondis like it: ‘Love your
neighboras yourself.”(Matthew22:39). Love as God desiresfromusisimportantbecause without‘love
for others,’givinganythingtootherswill be aproblemfor many…evenasChristians!
The bible teachesusthatwhenwe give generously andwithawillingheart,GodassuresusHe will
watch overus andprovide forus as statedin 2 Corinthians9:8, “AndGodis ableto bless you
abundantly,sothat inall thingsat all times, havingall that youneed, you will aboundin every good
work.”AsChristianswe needto rememberthatwe are to cheerfullygivebacktoGod whichmeansfor
the growthof His Churchand alsohelpHischildrenwhoare needy. AsKingDavidpointedout,
everythingwe have isfromGodas we readin 1 Chronicles29:14), “Butwho am I, and whoare my
people,that we shouldbe ableto give as generouslyas this? Everything comes fromyou, and we have
givenyou onlywhat comes from your hand.” Thisincludesourtalentsandourtime as well.We needto
bearin mindthat ourdays are numbered andthatout life and ourtime indeedbelongstoGod. During
our shortlifespan,anygiftswe receiveare alsofromHim; like the provisionfromone’sfather.
Therefore, we canunderstandwhenwe are toldin 1 Peter 4:10 “Eachof youshoulduse whatever gift
you have received to serve others, as faithful stewardsof God’sgrace in itsvariousforms.”
As Christianswe knowthat Godso lovedthe worldthatHe gaveHis son to sameus. We woulddowell
to rememberthatwe are savedbecause ourGod so generouslygave:“ForGodsoloved the world that
he gave his one andonlySon, that whoever believes inhim shall notperish but have eternal life.”(John
3:16). As Hischildren,we are calledtobe “the lightof the world” as saidin Matthew 5:14,“You are the
lightof the world. A town builtona hill cannotbe hidden.” As believersinChrist we needtoplace our
trust inGod and honorHim bygenerouslygivingourtime, treasure,andtalent forHisglory.Thatway
we are trulylettingourlightshine beforemen,andourgoodnesswillreflectradiantlyonourFatherin
heaven.