"CHEERFUL GIVING ~ SHARE WITH OTHERS"

"If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from the poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth." Deuteronomy 15:7,8

God is most generous in sharing with us the very best He has: His earth, His Son, and His heaven. He gives us life and what we need to sustain and enrich it; strength and skill to work and provide for our daily needs; special talents and aptitudes to better the quality of our lives; experience for living wisely; abundant resources we can manipulate for our comfort and pleasure; opportunity to grow in knowledge, both temporal and spiritual; hope, comfort, and courage to sustain us in life's dark hours; faith to live by and to die by. He does all this not only that we may live fully and well but that others also may benefit from His gifts to us.

"But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" 1John 3:17

John is saying that love is not a sentiment; it is that which expresses itself in action. James also had a great deal to say about this in his epistle. There he wrote, "If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give
them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?" (James 2:15,16). When a brother in need comes to some people, they simply say, "I'll pray for you, brother." But the important thing is whether or not our love is manifested in what we are doing. One of the most tragic things in the world will be when many believers come into the presence of Christ, having had this world's goods down here and not have used them for the cause of Christ.

"Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away." Matthew 5:42

There is a great principle here! We should be helpful to those in need. And there are many fine Christian acts that can be performed by believers. Historically, hospitals,orphan homes, and works of charity (which the Bible calls acts of love) have followed the preaching of the gospel. There should be the fruit of good works in a believers life.

"Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give: not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." 2Corinthians 9:7

What you feel right down in your heart you ought to give, that is what you should give. But here is the real test: "not grudgingly." God does not want any grudging giving. What does that mean? God does not want one penny from you if you would rather keep it for yourself. Perhaps you say, "Well, I am a officer in the church and it is my responsibility to give." Or, "I am a member of that church and I feel obligated." It is true that the church may say that to you. And we should support the church. But God does not say that. He says that if you are going to give grudgingly, He doesn't want it, but I believe that God doesn't use it either. Not only does this verse say God does not want you to give grudgingly, neither does He want you to give "of necessity." He doesn't want you to give at all unless you are giving willingly and gladly. Some say, "Well, I had better give because everybody else is giving, and it would look bad if I didn't give something." That is giving of necessity. God does not want that kind of giving. "God loveth a cheerful giver." If you can't give cheerfully, God doesn't want you to give at all.

Application: Jesus wants us to think about giving and sharing and in having a "right" relationship with Him. As he warns us about collecting and storing up things for ourselves, we must remember, as humans, we like to gather and accumulate what we can see, touch and count. We become "stingy" and forget those around us in need. This does not please our Lord. Let us keep in mind, the great thing about God, the Giver, is that His giving went right to the heart of the matter. His greatest gift came as His Son, the Savior. Let us not forget the opportunity He gives us for sharing with others.

Today's Devotion: "He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor." Proverbs 22:9

Heavenly Father, we are often slow and stingy in sharing when we are able and there are so many needs. Lord, we ask for a generous heart and a willingness to share what we have with others. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen

God Bless You All as you become the "cheerful giver" that would be pleasing to our Lord's eyes