What other scriptures emphasize giving with a willing and joyful heart? David’s Joyful Example 1 Chronicles 29:3: “Moreover, because of my delight in the house of my God, I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the house of my God, over and above everything I have already provided for this holy temple.” Patterns of Willing Hearts in the Wilderness • Exodus 25:1-2 – “Tell the Israelites to bring Me an offering. You are to receive My offering from every man whose heart compels him.” • Exodus 35:5 – “Take from among you an offering to the LORD. Let everyone whose heart is willing bring an offering to the LORD.” • Exodus 35:21 – “Everyone whose heart stirred him and whose spirit prompted him came and brought to the LORD an offering.” Songs That Celebrate Freewill Offerings • Psalm 54:6 – “Freely I will sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O LORD, for it is good.” • Psalm 110:3 – “Your people shall volunteer freely on the day of Your power; in holy splendor …” Wisdom’s Counsel on Cheerful Generosity • Proverbs 3:9 – “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your harvest.” • Proverbs 11:24-25 – “One gives freely, yet gains even more … A generous soul will prosper, and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” The Prophets Link Generosity to Blessing • Isaiah 58:10 – “If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will go forth in the darkness.” • Malachi 3:10 – “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse … ‘Test Me in this,’ says the LORD of Hosts, ‘and see if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you blessing without measure.’ ” Jesus Celebrates and Models Joyful Giving • Matthew 6:3-4 – “When you give to the needy … your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” • Luke 6:38 – “Give, and it will be given to you … For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” • Luke 21:1-4 – The widow’s two coins: “this poor widow has put in more than all the others.” • John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son …” Paul’s Teaching on Cheerful Giving • 2 Corinthians 8:12 – “If the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has.” • 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 – “God loves a cheerful giver … God is able to make all grace abound to you.” • Romans 12:8 – “If it is giving, give generously.” • Philippians 4:18-19 – Gifts described as “a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.” • 1 Timothy 6:18-19 – “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.” Early Church: Generosity in Action • Acts 2:44-45 – “All the believers were together … they shared with anyone who was in need.” • Acts 4:32-35 – “No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own … There were no needy persons among them.” • Acts 20:35 – “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Practical Takeaways • Giving that delights God starts in the heart, not the wallet. • God counts willingness and joy above the amount. • Generosity blesses the giver—spiritually and often materially. • Secret, humble giving mirrors the Father’s own giving in Christ. • The early church shows that open-handed sharing meets needs and testifies powerfully to the gospel. |
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