The Lord Loves A Cheerful Lender? (cont.)

3. The Lord loves a cheerful GIVER!

If the Lord prompts you to help someone out, give, don’t lend. In 2 Corinthians 9:7, we read “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” You don’t find anywhere in the Bible, where it says, “God loves a cheerful lender.”

Jesus gave his life freely so that we could have eternal life. Doesn’t it seem logical that we should have the same spirit of giving that Jesus did? If you have the Holy Spirit (if you are a Christian, you do) you do have the same spirit of giving. Remember, everything you have, is His anyway (see tithing article).

There’s a wonderful story about Hudson Taylor, the great man of faith who started the China Inland Mission. As a young man, learning faith lessons in England, he was asked by a desperate man to come pray for his dying wife. Hudson agreed and followed the man to his small apartment where he found 4 or 5 children, obviously starving, and the mother and a new-born child , both of whom looked like they were dying.

Now, Hudson Taylor had in his pocket, one coin (half a crown) which was all the money he had in the world and was enough to provide for his food for the next day. As he looked upon the family’s terrible situation, the Lord pressed on his heart to give his money to the family. Hudson, tried to push these things out of his mind, reasoning, that if he only had some change, he would be glad to give a portion of the money to the needy family and that would still leave a little left over for his food the next day.

Kneeling down, he began to pray for the family but the words would not come out! Hudson wrote of the Lord’s conviction, “You hypocrite! telling these unconverted people about a kind and loving Father in heaven, and not prepared yourself to trust Him without a half-a-crown.” Well, Hudson Taylor gave his money and the woman and her child were saved. The next day, the Lord provided abundantly for the young Hudson, and he learned a valuable lesson: Not only did the Lord love a cheerful giver, but he could trust the Lord with a little in his pocket or nothing at all.

Conclusion. When the Lord impresses you to help someone with money, be a cheerful giver!

I encourage you to read Hudson Taylor’s biography. There are several written, but my favorite is the two-volume set from OMF by Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor.

Copyright @ 2005 James R. Owen, Jr. All rights reserved.

"You don't find anywhere in the Bible, where it says, 'God loves a cheerful lender.'"

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