"God loveth a cheerful giver." II Cor. 9:7. The complete quotation is from Paul's second letter to the Corinthians: "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."
Cheerful giving means loving, gracious, and generous giving; it is to give freely, eagerly, and joyously from a grateful heart. We can see that the qualities of thought indicated here are derived from Spirit. They express God, who is Life, Soul, and Love.
The results of expressing Godlike qualities are shown in the Bible. Joash, the king, had seen the need to repair the temple in Jerusalem. At his command a chest was prepared to receive contributions for this purpose and was set just outside the gate of the temple. A proclamation was sent throughout Jerusalem and Judah to bring in the collections. "And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest." II Chron. 24:10. The chest would be filled with the gifts, emptied in the king's office, taken back to the gate and refilled. "Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance." Funds were raised for the complete renovation of the house of the Lord, and there was ample left over for furnishings and accessories.
