Anyone who has seen an episode of Planet Earth on the Discovery Channel knows that God is wild in his design. From shooting stars sprinting across the night sky to the spiky and furry creatures that scurry around, God shares his creation with unmatched generosity. When we are experiencing nature, we are experiencing a facet of the generosity of God.
Think about it. If God had wanted, he could have been stingy in his design. Two colors. Maybe three. A handful of plants. A couple of animals. One type of fish.
But instead our God paints the world beautiful with creatures and vegetation we still have yet to discover.
As I journeyed to really know God, one of the first things I searched for was what God loves. Isaiah tells us that God loves the poor, and he loves justice. Malachi 2:11 describes that God loves the temple. And many of us know that God so loved the world (John 3:16).
A lot of what I found didn’t really surprise me. But I was taken aback by what 2 Corinthians 9:7 specifically says that God loves:
God loves a cheerful giver.
I’ve read this verse many times, but I never realized its significance. If God loves cheerful givers, then I want to be a cheerful giver, too. But what does it mean to give cheerfully?
The Greek word for cheerful is hilario. It’s the word we get hilarious from.
If you see a More Funny Than Wrong photo, you may chuckle. But when you stumble across something hilarious, your body-the core of your being-responds.
I want to be a hilarious giver.
God invites us to be hilarious givers-to give not just from our wallets and schedules-but from the core of who we are, offering our talents and passions at his feet, allowing ourselves to be used for his glory.
How is God challenging you to be a hilarious giver right now?
**Photo courtesy of here
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I love giving!!!
But I wanna give more in faith!!!
Jeff,
And joy!!!! When we’re joyful–faith bubbles up naturally….
Jeff,
I agree–faith is a huge part of giving. And yet when we give, we grow in all kinds of unexpected ways.
I experience God’s generosity every day. However, earlier this year I got to experience the generosity of God in one of those “in your face” kind of ways. The women of our church were going on a weekend retreat. The cost wasn’t much but out of reach for some. I certainly am not rich but I decided that I could come up with the money to pay the fees so that some other woman could go that could not afford it. The day after I wrote the check for the donation I received an unexpected insurance refund check that covered both my fees and the fees I donated! My God is awesome!
Kim,
I love it when God does stuff like that–reminding us of His amazing generosity. There’s a Jewish concept (and a Jesus one!) about living with a good eye–the idea of looking to good and show generosity wherever you go that I’ve been noodling on for some time. Last night I was with a group of believers who generosity in kindness and graciousness and inclusion knocked my socks off. I want to live like that! Hug to you today!