God Loves A Cheerful Giver
– Second Corinthians Nine –
Paul did not feel that
the church at
The bounty
or blessing from
Sufficiency
is a key word when it comes to giving. God has blessed us with sufficient for
our needs and to share with others. We should give accordingly. Paul's
statements concerning giving sound very much like Psalm 112:9. "He hath
dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth
for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour."
God does give "seed to the sower, and bread to
the eater." (Isaiah 55:10) The sower is the one
that gives of whatever he has to help other people. God promised to provide (1)
Bread for your food, (2) He will multiply your seed sown, and (3) He will
increase the fruits of your righteousness. God often increases out wealth so
that we can go out and meet the needs of people even more.
Think of
all the good that would be done if the church at Corinth gave the generous
offering they had promised: (1) Needs of the Jerusalem church would be
supplied, (2) Thanksgivings would go up to God in many places, (3) The
Corinthians would have supplied proof of their love, and (4) The Christians at
Jerusalem would begin to pray for the church at Corinth as soon as they heard
from them. Thankfulness for God's unspeakable gift of Jesus and His gospel was
all the motivation that was needed to insure that the proper gift would be
given by the Corinthians.
Be prepared to keep your word – 2 Corinthians
9:1-4: Paul felt that it was really unnecessary, because of the present
state of mind of these brethren, to write to them about the money they planned
to give. He knew that their hearts were set on doing what was right before God.
He had all confidence that they would give to help God's people in
Paul
sent Titus and the two other brothers on ahead to see that the contribution was
waiting when he and the brethren from Macedoina
reached there. He did not want his boasting about them to be in vain. It should
not be that way, but it is easy to forget about what we have promised to do. If
they failed to have their gifts ready Paul would be embarrassed because he had boasted so much about them and they would be
embarrassed
even more for failing to keep their promise.
Sow bountifully and reap also bountifully
– 2 Corinthians 9:5-7: God’s desire for our giving is that it be
both willing and bountiful. Christians should give because they want to, and not because they feel
forced to give. Giving should show love and never
show the giver to be covetous. Remember this, A few seeds sown will make
only a small harvest, but a lot of seeds sown make a big harvest. Paul; said,
"Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully
will also reap bountifully." The harvest from our giving is (1) the good
that is done, (2) God is glorified, and (3) our love is proven.
Each person
must make up his own mind about how much to give. You cannot feel sorry that
you must give. Neither should you give reluctantly or under compulsion. God
loves people that love to give. God loves a cheerful giver. A person must
meditate on what he will give and give generously and with a cheerful heart.
Both the amount and the attitude are important in our giving.
After a person has decided the amount that he should give,
it should not be painful to him when he gives. It must be done with a
cheerful heart.
God will multiply the seed you sow – 2
Corinthians 9:8-12: Give as God has prospered you with a cheerful spirit.
When you do give generously God will bless you with everything you need.
You will always have enough to do good things to bless others. God will make His grace abound in your life as you bless
others. God freely gives to the poor, "His righteousness endures
forever." Put God first and He will provide every necessity for you. 'But
seek ye first the
The
Christian that practices liberality will be
blessed in every way. He will be able to keep on being generous. Paul also knew
that many people would thank God when the generous gift was delivered to those famine stricken brethren. What they were doing was an
act that would cause much thanksgiving to God from many.
The experiment of this ministration – 2 Corinthians 9:13-15: The way the
Corinthians had conducted themselves in the matter of giving would be an
experiment that would prove effective. They believed in Christ and obeyed His will by sharing
generously with God's people and with everyone else. Generous giving would be a
carrying out of the profession of the gospel of Christ. This contribution would
bless Christians and non Christians alike. Giving God
glory was the main purpose of this experiment.
The
disciples in
Will you appreciate Jesus enough
that you will receive Him as your Lord and Savior NOW? To become a Christian
you must hear the gospel (Romans