A cheerful giver
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:6-7).
I had a great affection for John, the brother who married June and me. He and his wife, Gladys, were part of a lovely group of older Christians who cared for us when we were young. We spent many happy hours in their home. John told me that, when he was a young man, he worked on the land. He had the opportunity to get into market gardening. John prayed over what he should do. He was impressed by what he read in Acts 4:36-37: “And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” Based on these verses, John decided not to take the opportunity. He was an intelligent man with ability, but John spent the rest of his life working in ordinary jobs with a simplicity and contentment I always admired.
Even in his nineties, John preached the Gospel to passers-by in the open air on Spring Bank in Hull. He died at a great age, and three weeks afterwards his wife, Gladys, went to be with the Lord in her hundredth year. I was privileged to take both funerals. At Gladys’s funeral, I told the story their nephew, Bernard, a dear friend of mine, told me. When she was a very old lady, Gladys asked Bernard to a take a gift to a Christian organisation. He handed over a sealed envelope and the brother he gave it to opened the envelope and counted the money to record the amount. It was a considerable sum; such a large sum that Bernard felt he should confirm the amount. He, with the agreement of the brother, rang Gladys’s daughter to make sure her aged mother had not made a mistake. There was no mistake. As we walked to the graveside, another friend who had known the family very well drew alongside and thanked me for mentioning the story, then added that it was one of many such occasions.
This lovely couple lived their lives in godliness and contentment. In simplicity and faithfulness, they devoted themselves to following the Lord. They served Him day by day, year by year, for the greater part of a century. Throughout that time, they had been consistent, cheerful givers. John sacrificed the opportunity he had to become a market gardener. But there was no doubt he and Gladys sowed and reaped bountifully. They purposed in their hearts to be lifelong cheerful givers, and God loved them for it. I am so thankful to have known Christians like John and Gladys who gently moved through this world, witnessing to the Saviour and making whatever they had available to Him.
The Lord was a cheerful giver. He ministered in free grace in a world which rejected His goodness. It delights His heart when we bring our freewill offerings from our cheerful hearts. We are to witness cheerfully (Acts 24:10), show mercy cheerfully (Romans 12:8), give cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:6-7), and worship cheerfully (James 5:13), because we belong to the One who gave Himself for us.
