The Hilarious Giver

2 Corinthians 9:7; Acts 20:35
The Greek word for "cheerful" is hilaros—the root of our word "hilarious." God loves a hilarious giver! Not someone who gives grudgingly, calculating the minimum acceptable amount, but someone who finds joy—even hilarity—in the act of giving. Young Thomas Carlyle broke his piggy bank to give everything to a beggar and said he never felt such joy again. That's the feeling God wants us to experience regularly. When we give reluctantly or under compulsion, we rob ourselves of the blessing. But when we give hilariously, freely, extravagantly, we tap into divine joy that transforms our brain chemistry and our spiritual reality. Giving isn't optional for followers of Christ—it's the natural overflow of having received so much. Today, look for an opportunity to give hilariously, and notice the joy that floods your soul.