Tithes & Offerings Devotion No. 1_god Loves A Cheerful Giver Series

Compiled by: Herman Abrahams (Pastor), Cornerstone Faith Ministries, P.O. Box 740, Westridge 7802, Rep. of South Africa.

E-Mail: Mentorship2003@yahoo.co.uk

Note to the reader:

If you have been blessed with this sermon compilation, I would be honoured to receive an e-mail from you simply stating where in the world you are based; I do not need any other information, however, please feel free to communicate. This is merely so that I can have the pleasure of giving thanks to Almighty God that all over the globe, the ministry which he has entrusted to me, is blessing the body of Christ and helping to extend the Kingdom of God.

Thank you.

Herman Abrahams,

Cape Town, South Africa.

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TITHES & OFFERINGS DEVOTION No. 1_GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER

(2 Cor. 9:6-7)

2Co 9:6-7 (NIV) 2Co 9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2Co 9:7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Cor 9:6-7 (The Message) “Remember: a stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.”

ILLUSTRATION

Did you hear about the twenty-dollar bill and a one-dollar bill talking to one another? They were telling each other where they had been. The twenty said he had just been on a whirlwind trip. He had been to the casinos and to the movies. He had been to a baseball game and purchased hotdogs and beers. He had been passed on to the lottery and then a drug dealer. His life was full of extravagant travel. The one-dollar bill responded saying his life was boring. All he had done was travel from one church to another and another. [Wil Pounds, South McGehee Baptist Church, McGehee, Arkansas - www.abideinchrist.com]

1. Our giving must not be reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. The Authorised Standard Version says we are not to give “grudgingly, or of necessity”.

2. Let your giving come from a heart that is overflowing with God’s love and abundant grace.

3. It’s all in your attitude. "God loves a cheerful giver." The English transliteration of the word for "cheerful" (Greek ‘hilaros’) is hilarious. It also means to be ‘merry’, ‘prompt’ or ‘willing’ (Strongs Greek Concordance No. 2431).

4. God loves a hilarious giver – a giver who will give joyously, laughingly and with a merry heart. God desires our giving to come from a heart that is cheerful, prompt, willing and ready to sow generously. Believers must not give feeling compelled to do so. They must not have the attitude “Oh it’s offering time again - I’m giving because I have to!!”

5. Be ready always to give with joy in your heart, bearing in mind that Christ Jesus willingly gave his life for you.

6. The one who sows a little, will reap just a little (vs 6). The law of sowing and reaping is a spiritual law that cannot be denied. Begin to take the seed God has provided you with and sow a generous portion. If you truly want a harvest in your life, then start sowing generously. This is the way God’s spiritual laws works. He wants us to be abundantly blessed. Not just a little but more than we can handle. That is just the way God is. So when you sow, get ready to harvest. Then you will have more seed to sow and plenty also for your own needs and to help supply the needs of others as well.

However, you must sow generously and cheerfully !!