So Let Us Give

I’m quite familiar with today’s text, as I’ve heard it quoted many times when someone is speaking about a money offering.

Yet when I came across that same text just the other day and contemplated it again, my thoughts focused upon the words cheerful and giver.

Just then, I wondered whether those words might hold a double meaning. When we’ve been unjustly accused of something we didn’t do or say, the human reaction is often anger and bitterness. Satan even encourages us to think about it, talk about it, and carry it around our necks for a while. For many, it might last a lifetime! Some who have been unfairly wronged never receive an apology or hear another person ask for their forgiveness. I have been in that position, and I’ve found that I have a decision to make at some point. Am I going to forgive? Or will I hold on to that bitterness? A friend, family member, or coworker may do or say something to hurt us deeply, but in some instances, they had no intention of hurting us. Still, there we are, having to deal with wounded feelings. When all is said and done, what do we do with the message in 2 Corinthians 9:7? The text uses the words “every man according as he purposeth,” which means “as he chooses,” to do in his heart. The text continues, “Let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity.” When someone apologizes to us or asks our forgiveness, we must choose to either keep hanging on to our bitterness or cheerfully assent to their request.

Just think how much better off our world would be if there were more “cheerful giving” of forgiveness!

Terry Wilson Robinson