Each one must give as he has decided in his own heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion for GOD loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV
KJV~ Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
Williams translation~. Each must give what he has purposed in his heart to give, not sorrowfully or under compulsion, for it is the happy giver that God loves.
Most of us know that when Paul wrote this to the Corinthians, he was specifically talking to them about money. I want to enlarge the thought today by considering how we respond to any place that any kind of giving is asked of us.
All three translations paint a little different picture for us, depending on how we personally understand the various words.
Reluctant is shown to mean unwilling and hesitant; disinclined.
Grudgingly indicates a reluctant or resentful manner.
Sorrowful is feeling or showing grief:
From Vines Expository Dictionary of Old and NT words we learn these words are all renderings from the GR. LUPĒ (3077) which signifies pain, of body or mind; it is used in the plural in 1 Pet. 2:19 only, R.V., “griefs” (A.V., “grief”); here, however, it stands, by metonymy, for ‘things that cause sorrow,’
Recently we saw this word (LUPE) used in John 16:6 where Jesus has said “because I have said these things to you, sorrow (LUPE) has filled your heart. From 2 Cor 7:10 we find godly “LUPE” produces repentance. From Luke 24.45 we see the word LUPE used once again where Jesus, in the garden, finds his disciples sleeping for “sorrow”.
This condition affects my readiness of mind, willingness of heart and prompt to do it giving. Proverbs speaks about the one withholding more than is right but it only tends to poverty. God desires for us to prosper, spirit, soul and body. Could our LUPE (sorrowful) giving from our spirit, soul or body be creating the poverty in our life?
Paul wrote, God loves a cheerful giver and of course this wouldn’t be right without adding the amplified translation ~
2 Corinthians 9:7 (AMP):..... (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver [whose heart is in his giving].
Cheerful ("won over, already inclined") is only used in 2 Cor. 9:7, where it describes spontaneously, non-reluctant giving, someone who is cheerfully ready to act because they are already approving, already persuaded.
If God loves a cheerful giver I wonder how he feels about the reluctant or sorrowful one?Do we excuse our heart condition thinking we can sort it later and it will be ok? I don’t know about you but I find the longer I leave unbelief the harder it is to sort it. Somehow, all my thoughts and perceptions begin to seem right.
2 Corinthians 8:12–13 (ESV): For if the readiness [eager disposition which is pre-inclined, already "ready and willing"] is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.
Acceptable according to what a person has simply means God never asks us to do something we are not capable of doing. We either have the means or the grace to do it. The ready and willing heart is up to us because this is the place where we own what we believe God is requiring of us.
Each one must give as he has decided in his own heart, not reluctantly!