7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
The opening verse reveals the importance of purpose and cheerfulness in giving. It says that every man ought to give according as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly, or of necessity. We are to give according to our choice or preference, or decision based on our faith, not someone else’s. When the decision is made to give, we must never again query or judge it wrongly anymore. We are to follow the purpose of our heart in giving, and let it align with our faith perfectly. We ought to give out of purpose of heart, not out of emotionalism; not out of comparism or vain glory. Just as we are told in the Word (Romans 12:6) to prophesy according to the proportion of our faith, we are to also purpose to give according to our faith, which means that we are to give according to the proportion of revelation of God’s grace for liberality in our heart. When purpose to give is consistent with love and grace ministered to us for liberality, grudging or necessity is eliminated from the heart. You can then give by grace and not grudgingly or of necessity, or compulsion. A definite purpose to give, deciding ahead or aforetime, is key to cheerful giving. When you give out of grudge or necessity, such a giving is not blessed. God does not love that kind of giving, neither does He love that kind of a giver. He loves a cheerful giver. When you give cheerfully from love, God loves it, and blesses your seed sown.
God loves a cheerful giver! Why? Every cheerful giver is like God. When God gave us His Son Jesus Christ, He did it out of love – an abundant love for us. Cheerful giving can only be done out of love and that’s what makes giving graceful. When you give gracefully, God makes all grace abound towards you unto having all sufficiency in all things in order that you might be able to abound unto every good work (2Corinthians 9:8). You will then have more than enough, more than you need for a lifetime. You are now meeting the needs of others. You are flowing out to be a blessing to your world, to your generation and those that are yet to be born. This is true prosperity. Hallelujah!
MY SOLID FRONT (YOUR CONFESSION):
In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I declare that my purpose to give is consistent with my faith in the Word and so I give gracefully and cheerfully in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ! Amen.
Further Meditation:
2 Corinthians 8:9; 2 Corinthians 9:6-11.