Joy - Experience Joy This ChristmasSample

What brings us joy - Giving like Jesus

If you ask a child what Christmas is about, most of them will say… PRESENTS! What they mean is: getting presents! Kids are transparent about their desire to receive, but Jesus explained that it was better to give than to receive. 

This is so countercultural! Giving is often taught as a duty or a demand, but so rarely is it shown to be a source of joy. 

2 Corinthians 9:7 (AMP) says “Let each one give [thoughtfully and with purpose] just as he has decided in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver [and delights in the one whose heart is in his gift.” 

The word ‘cheerful’ is a Greek word, hilaron, which is the word we get hilarious from. 

Do you give with the kind of pleasure that would make you laugh!? That’s the kind of joy God wants us to be able to experience when we give. The word also means the kind of pleasure that comes from having decided to do something in advance, it means someone who is ready to give. 

Giving can require serious consideration and wisdom, which is best done beforehand, so that in the moment you can enjoy it and give your joy with your gift. If we allow Him to show us how to live generously, then we can share with others while laughing and living with joy!

To reflect:

1. Are you a ‘cheerful’ giver? Why or why not?

2. Have you spent time with God, deciding in advance your acts of generosity this Christmas and beyond? Why not carve out some time, in the coming weeks, to think about how you want to give of your time, energy, thoughts and money?