Dear Daily Message Readers,
READ: 2 Corinthians 9
2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV) "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
There is a popular illustration on giving, regarding a little boy and his sister. The sister needs a blood transfusion to live, and her little brother is the most suitable donor of her rare blood type. As he lies down on the stretcher beside his unconscious sister, the nurse inserts the needle that will give his sister the life giving blood she needs. This a frightful experience for the little boy to say the least, but he never whimpers. After a few moments, the color in his sister's face returns to a rosy red, as her blood supply is replenished and her situation pulls out of the critical stage. The little boy's face, however, is worried.
The doctor comes in, checks his sister's pulse and blood pressure and announces that she will be fine. The little brother breathes a sigh of relief knowing that his sister will be fine, but he still has a sullen look on his face. He turns to the doctor and asks, "Doctor, how long until I die? The doctor, realizing what the little boy has been thinking, now has a tear in his eye. "Youre not going to die. You will be up and fine in about an hour."
The little boy thought that he had been asked to give all of his blood to his sister, and that he would die in the process. Yet he gave just the same. Expecting nothing in return, in fact expecting that he would die, making the ultimate sacrifice, and he was willing to do it, perhaps without a smile on his face, but certainly a smile in his heart (Gregory Griffin).
God expects us to be good stewards of everything He has given us. Each of us must give back to the Lord a part of what we have, "not reluctantly or under compulsion," but out of gratitude and hearts full of love, because "God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). In Matthew 6, for instance, Jesus reminds us of how much God loves us and of His abundant provision for our needs. True, we must certainly have bills to pay (college bills for me!), meals to buy, and miscellaneous daily expenses. However, we need to trust His care for us and give anyway, freely and from our hearts to the Lord.
The type of giving the little boy demonstrated is the kind of giving that pleases God. It is to give sacrificially without expecting something in return, and with a smile on our face and in our heart. So ask yourself today: Are you pleasing God with your money, resources, and time? Faith Lesson: "God has given us two hands--one to receive with and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for sharing."--Rev. Billy Graham
In Christ,
Darin Smith
READ: 2 Corinthians 9
2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV) "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
There is a popular illustration on giving, regarding a little boy and his sister. The sister needs a blood transfusion to live, and her little brother is the most suitable donor of her rare blood type. As he lies down on the stretcher beside his unconscious sister, the nurse inserts the needle that will give his sister the life giving blood she needs. This a frightful experience for the little boy to say the least, but he never whimpers. After a few moments, the color in his sister's face returns to a rosy red, as her blood supply is replenished and her situation pulls out of the critical stage. The little boy's face, however, is worried.
The doctor comes in, checks his sister's pulse and blood pressure and announces that she will be fine. The little brother breathes a sigh of relief knowing that his sister will be fine, but he still has a sullen look on his face. He turns to the doctor and asks, "Doctor, how long until I die? The doctor, realizing what the little boy has been thinking, now has a tear in his eye. "Youre not going to die. You will be up and fine in about an hour."
The little boy thought that he had been asked to give all of his blood to his sister, and that he would die in the process. Yet he gave just the same. Expecting nothing in return, in fact expecting that he would die, making the ultimate sacrifice, and he was willing to do it, perhaps without a smile on his face, but certainly a smile in his heart (Gregory Griffin).
God expects us to be good stewards of everything He has given us. Each of us must give back to the Lord a part of what we have, "not reluctantly or under compulsion," but out of gratitude and hearts full of love, because "God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). In Matthew 6, for instance, Jesus reminds us of how much God loves us and of His abundant provision for our needs. True, we must certainly have bills to pay (college bills for me!), meals to buy, and miscellaneous daily expenses. However, we need to trust His care for us and give anyway, freely and from our hearts to the Lord.
The type of giving the little boy demonstrated is the kind of giving that pleases God. It is to give sacrificially without expecting something in return, and with a smile on our face and in our heart. So ask yourself today: Are you pleasing God with your money, resources, and time? Faith Lesson: "God has given us two hands--one to receive with and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for sharing."--Rev. Billy Graham
In Christ,
Darin Smith
Wow! This is so true! Thanx Darin!
God Bless! ~R.L.
