“Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give,
 not out of regret or compulsion.
 For God loves a cheerful giver.”

2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV

When I went to Guatemala in 2010 I fell in love with the people.  They’re some of the most giving people you can meet.  Our group worked with “the church under the bridge.” Leaving at the end of our week was so difficult.  We’d all become so close to the people in the community and especially the pastor, his wife and their adorable daughter.

Guatemala 2010

Just before we got on the bus the pastor made a presentation interpreted through Hector, our missionary.  The pastor’s wife had bought gifts for each of us girls on the trip in gratitude for our help and to let us know how she loved our time together.  The huge smile on her face revealed a very cheerful giver.

It was difficult to accept gifts from someone who had so little, but we could tell she was thrilled to bless us.  A truly humbling moment for me.  You see, I love gift-giving but I’m not always the best at receiving. She presented us all with key chains made in Guatemala.

Guatemala Gift

I still have mine today because a present from a cheerful giver is a treasure, no matter what the dollar value. You see, there’s a BIG difference in receiving a gift from someone who wants to bless you rather than being the recipient of a present from someone you can tell, felt ‘obligated’ to gift you. Even if it’s something you want; it feels empty, almost awkward.

I can understand why God had Paul write this verse.  God doesn’t want anything from us that is coerced. The NLT words it like this, “And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure.”

When you truly understand how much God loves you and how much He’s given on your behalf, having the heart of a cheerful giver will come naturally and you’ll end up with the heart of this amazing Guatemalan woman!

Prayer

Father…I thank You for the gift of Your love.  It overwhelms me to imagine how difficult it must have been to follow through on Your plan to save the world when You knew it would cost You Your son.  Help me to have your heart so I give, not out of duty, but purely out of love.  May I have the heart of a cheerful giver and find joy in blessing others.   In Jesus Name…Amen

[tweetthis]God loves a cheerful giver :)[/tweetthis]

Dreams Taking Flight in GuatemalaI’d love if you would join me and some other amazing women on the mission’s trip to Guatemala, focussed on helping the women of Guatemala.

Saturday, February 24 – Sunday, March 4, 2018

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Drawing From The Well-Blue 

  1. 2 Corinthians 9:7
  2. Deuteronomy 15:10
  3. Proverbs 11:25
  4. 1 Chronicles 29:9
If you liked the refreshing in this #SoulH2O devotion, you’ll love my latest Soul H2O Devotional book: 40 Thirst Quenching Devotions for Women.

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blogger prayerYOU CAN OFTEN FIND ME LINKING UP WITH:
MONDAY Monday Meditations – Laura J. Davis, Soul Survival – Donna Reidland,
TUESDAY Cheerleaders of Faith #RARaLinkup – Kelly Balarie,
WEDNESDAY Coffee For Your Heart – Holley Gerth, Word Nerd Wednesdays — Liz Giertz
THURSDAY Heart Encouragement Thursday – Crystal Storms, Chasing Community – Barbara Bradford Ottinger
FRIDAY Dance With Jesus Linkup – Susan B. Mead, Grace and Truth Linkup – Arabah Joy, Counting My Blessings – Deb Wolf, Fresh Market Friday – Crystal Twaddell ELLEN’S PICKS– Ellen Graf-Martin

Sherry Stahl