God
Loves a Cheerful Giver
(2nd
Corinthians chapter 9)
This
week we will have a look at Second Corinthians chapter 9, where the
apostle Paul basically continues his train of thought where he left
off at the end of chapter 8. The topic is the various forms of
service that one can perform on behalf of God, but it is intertwined
with an emphasis on the intangible, valuing a good heart, mind and
spirit over material wealth and possessions. It is clear from Paul's
writing that God is far more interested in our availability than our
physical ability in our desire for service to the King. But He also
urges us to have a desire to be generous, knowing that the good we do
now will come back to us in the future at a time when it is needed
the most. Bearing that in mind, let's begin at verse 1.
“There
is no need for me to write to you about this service to the saints.
For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it
to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia
were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to
action. But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting
about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be
ready, as I said you would be. For if any Macedonians come with me
and find you unprepared, we – not to say anything about you –
would be ashamed of having been so confident. So I thought it
necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the
arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be
ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given. Remember this:
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows
generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he
has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under
compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make
all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having
all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is
written: 'He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; His
righteousness endures forever.' (2 Corinthians chapter 9, verses 1-9,
NIV)
The first thing I notice is Paul's reference to
enthusiasm, one of the positive human emotions. You will recall from
last week's study of the second half of chapter 8 that the apostle
Paul cited Titus as an example of this same enthusiasm, and he
exhorted the Corinthian church to follow Titus' example. He then goes
on to tell them not to disappoint him with a lackluster response, but
he does it in a friendly sort of way, not being overbearing or
judgmental. We would all do well in this regard to follow Paul's
example, never being pushy or arrogant with regard to our faith. It's
our responsibility as Christians, no matter what church we belong to
(or not), to be on fire for Christ in such a way as to inspire others
and to draw them in rather than drive them away. Jesus commented
about this himself when He taught the apostles, “He who does not
gather with me, scatters.”
It
is at this point that Paul immediately goes deeper, something he does
over and over again in his letters to the churches. He wrote,
“Whoever
sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously
will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided
in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God
loves a cheerful giver.”
So, anyone who is stingy or selfish should not be surprised
if
they don't get much out of life. They certainly won't get much from
God. Generous people, on the other hand, seem to do better in life
and be much better adjusted and adaptable people than those who are
less inclined. I'm speaking from experience here, and the “high”
I get from helping total strangers charges me up Spiritually and
energizes me to continue in His Majesty's service. By the same token,
when we give to the church or to those in need as Paul writes, we
should give whatever we can because we want to, not because we feel
like we have to. This decision should be based on whatever is on our
hearts regarding one's decision to step in and render assistance, and
we arrive at this decision by prayer. If we are unsure of whether to
give or not, or how much, ask God about it and let Him instruct you.
This
portion of one verse in 2nd
Corinthians flies in the face of what some churches are currently
teaching with regard to giving. There are a good many pastors and
teachers of the Word who are erroneously teaching that we must
“tithe” ten percent of our income. As I wrote in a recent study
of part of chapter 8, the concept of tithing is based on Old
Testament teaching contained within the Law of Moses, the first 5
books of the Old Testament, and it is rooted in Judaism. Since Jesus
Christ – who was also Jewish by birth – came to fulfill that law
by His supreme sacrifice that He made for us all, Jesus has literally
replaced the old law with the new, a law that is written “not on
tablets of stone but on human hearts” as the Bible says. So there
is no need to adhere to the old ways any longer. Jesus is “the way,
the truth, and the life”, and He said, “no one comes to the
Father except through me”. In this same way our giving should be to
emulate Christ and follow His teachings, not because somebody says we
“must tithe” 10% of our incomes. Real Christians give and expect
nothing in return. And now let us continue starting at verse 10.
“Now
he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply
and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your
righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be
generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will
result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not
only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in
many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which
you have proved ourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that
accompanies your confession of the Gospel of Christ, and for your
generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their
prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the
surpassing grace that God has given you. Thanks be to God for His
indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9, verses 10-15, NIV)
As
you can see, Paul continues to go deeper with the concept of generous
giving based on a genuine desire to do so rather than as a duty,
particularly in light of the “rule” about “tithing 10 percent”.
Paul wrote, “ ...he
who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply
and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your
righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be
generous on every occasion...”.
Clearly the “one who supplies seed to the sower” is a reference
to God the supplier and Christ as the sower. They in turn, Paul
wrote, increase our “store of seed” so that our “harvest of
righteousness” comes into full bloom. This is an unmistakable
reference to the righteousness of Christ, who sits at the right hand
of the Father in heaven, and to His blood which He shed for all our
sins. The shedding of His blood on the cross at Golgotha covers over
all the bad things we have done, our imperfections, our character
defects, and especially all our failures in life. God covers over our
past through His son so that we can better focus on our future, even
where we will spend eternity – and all because of Christ. Thanks be
to God indeed for His indescribable gift, and I try to thank Him
every day for it in my prayers. I recommend that you do the same as a
sign of your selfless service to the Lord.
Paul closes out his message and finishes making his
point by encouraging us with the words, “You will be made rich in
every way so that you can be generous on every occasion”. Remember
what Jesus taught his apostles, “It is more blessed to give than
to receive”. But let me clarify something here, and it has to
do with what I view as more incorrect teaching on the part of many
churches concerning being “made rich”. This is not purely a
reference to man-made wealth or mere material possessions, but
instead notice that the text reads that we will be “made rich in
every way”. It looks to me like that includes the things you can't
buy in the store, such as having a loving family or a close circle of
friends (things not everyone gets to have), a successful professional
life (ditto), and a rich spiritual life enriched by the knowledge of
the deep things of God. Being truly rich can and does often mean
possessing the unknowable things of God that enlighten us only after
years of diligent study and humble devotion as a servant of Christ.
It also includes the intangible things and essences that go along
with being a follower of Christ, such as patience, gentleness,
kindness, tolerance, understanding, empathy and compassion. These are
the riches we should all be seeking, and those who seek to do so
emulate both the apostle Paul and Christ Jesus the Son of the living
God. It is these things, the sacred things and that of quality, depth
and substance that comprise a successful Christian life. The year,
make and model of your vehicle, the technology one owns or accesses,
your clothing, the size of your house and its decor, all are utterly
meaningless in the life of a real live Christian, one who walks the
walk as well as or better than they talk the talk. It is the
intangible things that make up the being and the essence of a real
Christian. That's one of the best ways to tell the phony ones from
the real ones. Let's keep this in mind as we go through the rest of
this week. If we're going to be Christians, let's get real about it
and become the genuine article for Jesus. That's where the true
riches are.
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