Week 8: Chapter 7 — Becoming a Hilarious Giver

1.The word translated 'cheerful' in 2 Corinthians 9:7 is the Greek word hilaros — from which we get 'hilarious.' Alcorn builds his closing chapter around that word. What does 'hilarious giving' look like in practice? Have you ever met someone whose generosity looked hilarious — almost absurd — to outside observers?

2.Alcorn argues that the pursuit of happiness and the pursuit of generosity are not competing goals — they are the same goal. Generous people, he says, are simply happier. Does your own experience confirm or complicate this claim?

3.He describes giving as a 'grace' — something God works in us, not merely something we work up in ourselves (2 Corinthians 8:7). What is the difference between trying harder to be generous and asking God to grow generosity as a grace? Which has been more characteristic of your approach?