Monday Meditation
March 14, 2016
From the desk of A.J. Higgins
God Loves a Cheerful Giver
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart,
so let him give; not grudgingly or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7
The subject of giving occupies 2Corinthian 8 and 9, and provides valuable insight and principles on this vital subject. Paul was stirring the believers in Corinth to fulfill their promised intention to send relief to the poor believers in Jerusalem. As part of his appeal, he reminded them that God finds pleasure in giving which is not linked with reluctance or regret, and which is not motivated by a personal necessity.
The principle which the Spirit of God is underlining is that God finds delight in giving that is spontaneous and voluntary. We have perhaps overdone the word “cheerful” by translating it “hilarious.” While there is a link in the original meaning, it is more the thought of a person finding pleasure in giving.
Take this principle and bring it to Calvary. There was no external constraint upon the Lord Jesus to either come in incarnation or go to the cross. Neither was there any internal need such as may motivate men to heroic acts, hoping for a moment of glory or to make their mark in history. There was no struggle to find significance in martyrdom. There was no need to find the fulfillment of the existentialist by choosing His own fate. He knew none of the constraints which move men.
There was nothing about us that would have constrained Him to come. This was not an act of kind benevolence for some needy and worthy object. This was not love for the loveable. This was not even a response to a request. We did not desire Him.
He likewise, did not give grudgingly. There was no reluctance on His part. Never was there the thought of anything but the Father’s will. Never was there any possibility of retreat in the pathway of devotion. He was a “cheerful” giver; He gave with a mind that knew all the cross would entail. He gave with a heart that had no rival in its love for His Father.
The Lord told a parable of a father with two sons who were instructed to go work in his field (Matt 21:28). The first was reluctant to go but later repented and went. The other seemed eager to go but relented and refused. While the one who eventually went did his father’s will, it was only after a period of reluctance. How much greater the readiness and willingness of the perfect Son! No reluctance and no need for repentance; no good intentions and failure; but both a readiness to do and a record of having completed His Father’s will marked Him.
The pleasure God receives in giving is proportional to the desire and delight the offerer has in giving. If that is the case, can you measure the delight that God found in the only truly selfless sacrifice ever offered? Paul adds an additional principle: “He that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully” (v 6). He sowed bountifully! Think of all He will reap!
Consider
1. Go through these two chapters of 2 Corinthians and look at other principles of giving and apply them to the offering of the Lord Jesus.
2. Can you find other Scriptures, perhaps in the Psalms or in the types, which indicate the joy the Lord Jesus found in offering Himself to God?
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