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- Apr 25, 2006
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Cheerful giving or fearful giving?
'GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER.' 2 CORINTHIANS 9:7
OK, let's start with a chunky chunk of Bible today: 'The person who plants a little will have a small harvest, but the person who plants a lot will have a big harvest. Each of you should give as you have decided in your heart to give. You should not be sad when you give, and you should not give because you feel forced to give. God loves the person who gives happily... God can give you more blessings than you need. Then you will always have plenty of everything - enough to give to every good work' (2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NCV).
Are you a cheerful giver or a fearful giver? You're probably not a greedy person. You might really want to help God's work. But do you usually look after yourself first? Why not? Most people do! Well imagine a farmer, who, for fear of getting hungry, eats his seed for breakfast and leaves nothing to plant in his fields. It's daft, right?! So don't scoff the seed that God wants to be sown for your future harvest.
When you make giving your first priority, you don't have to fear. Jesus said, 'Put God's work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well' (Matthew 6:33 CEV). When you get a God's-eye view on your cash the thing to fear isn't giving away too much, it's planting too little!
'GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER.' 2 CORINTHIANS 9:7
OK, let's start with a chunky chunk of Bible today: 'The person who plants a little will have a small harvest, but the person who plants a lot will have a big harvest. Each of you should give as you have decided in your heart to give. You should not be sad when you give, and you should not give because you feel forced to give. God loves the person who gives happily... God can give you more blessings than you need. Then you will always have plenty of everything - enough to give to every good work' (2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NCV).
Are you a cheerful giver or a fearful giver? You're probably not a greedy person. You might really want to help God's work. But do you usually look after yourself first? Why not? Most people do! Well imagine a farmer, who, for fear of getting hungry, eats his seed for breakfast and leaves nothing to plant in his fields. It's daft, right?! So don't scoff the seed that God wants to be sown for your future harvest.
When you make giving your first priority, you don't have to fear. Jesus said, 'Put God's work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well' (Matthew 6:33 CEV). When you get a God's-eye view on your cash the thing to fear isn't giving away too much, it's planting too little!
