Giving to God

Giving to God
Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the Lord; and King David also rejoiced greatly. —1 Chronicles 29: 9
The people offered willingly and they gave willingly. As they gave, they began rejoicing and praising God. And that is the way it should be, whether you are giving of your time, your energy, your money, or your possessions. Whatever you give to God should be offered willingly, from the heart.
Giving to the Lord should be the greatest joy and the greatest happiness that you know. Anything I offer to God must come from a willing heart if it’s to have any value.
**If you can’t give with joy, you are better off not giving at all.
Before his visit to the Corinthian church, Paul wrote ahead and asked them to take up an offering for the saints in Jerusalem, who were suffering real poverty. And then he added, “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9: 7). In the Greek, the word for “cheerful” means “hilarious.” In other words, God loves a hilarious giver. He is blessed when we give hilariously, out of a heart of rejoicing.
May we never forget that all that we have has come from God. All that we have is actually His; it belongs to Him. But we have the privilege of giving back to Him willingly—from the heart—as an expression of our love and gratitude.
Father, thank You for the privilege, the blessing, and the joy of giving to You. Take our lives, Lord. We offer them to You to use as You see fit. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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