2 Corinthians 9:6-9 says,...
Today's verses are 2 Corinthians 9:6-9, which read,
v.6, 7 - Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one much do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Paul has been talking to the Christians in the Corinthian church about the gift that they had been collecting for the saints in Jerusalem. They had been the first to start collecting and they were very enthusiastic about it. False teachers came in to discredit Paul and the gospel and they followed their lead. It resulted in sin and also the stoppage of collecting for this need. Paul writes a severe sorrowful letter to them pointing out the falseness of the false teachers and the sin that needed to be repented of. They repented and good reports were coming back to Paul through Titus who delivered that letter. Now Paul was sending Titus and a couple others to encourage them to get back to what they originally had pledged before his arrival to collect and take this gift to the church in Jerusalem.
Paul gives them a farming principle. If you plant a little then you will get a little. If you plant a lot then you will get a lot. If you invest a little then you will get a little. If you invest a lot then you will get a lot. The harvest is directly proportional to the planting. Something is going to be received by them with their giving or their sowing with the collection for the persecuted saints. What they are going to receive will match the effort that they have put into it.
Paul then addresses this giving not as just a group activity but a very individual, personal commitment. "Each one" is the phrase used to show this detail to the individual and then "must" gives us the command to follow on giving.
The first principle is "as he has purposed in his heart" which means that it has been thought through and planned. There has been some discussion with God on this and some prayer over how to proceed in the giving of their resources. Giving is not a side issue with God.
The second principle is "not grudgingly" meaning not with grief or sorrow or sadness. This giving is not to happen with regret or reluctance. After you have talked with God about this then the gift is given in peace.
The third principle is not "under compulsion" meaning to bow to some external pressure as the defining factor. We may receive the information of the need through external resources but the decision to give needs to come from within and not from some arm twisting technique.
The result of following these commands is a cheerful giver that God loves to see. God loves to see His children, when faced with a need, come to Him for guidance and direction and then give in peace to know that God is going to meet that need. How great is it that we get to be a part of it! That attitude is what God loves when we possess it when we give.
v.8, 9 - And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; as it is written, "He scattered abroad, He gave to the poor, His righteousness endures forever."
What will they receive when they give God's way? They will receive more of the understanding and experiencing of God's grace. They will see more of the sufficiency of God on their lives. They will be so much more aware of God's provision supplying so that they can give even more.
Why do we have what we have? Is it solely for ourselves or is it to be used in some way to give glory back to God? These are questions we need to think about when we look at our possessions and giving.
Paul inserts in Psalm 112:9 here that we will be imitating or mimicking the giving of God who sows much, gives to those in need and with it comes a righteousness that never ends. We will be experiencing a righteousness of God in our giving when we give God's way. What we receive is so much more than what we have given. What we give has been given to us by God and what we receive back comes from God also.
"Lord, heighten my awareness of what I give and how I give. Help me to see what You have put before me to show this obedience in Your name. May I take more time in prayer and thought about what I am giving or maybe what I need to start giving to. Help me see the worship of You in my giving. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.6, 7 - Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one much do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Paul has been talking to the Christians in the Corinthian church about the gift that they had been collecting for the saints in Jerusalem. They had been the first to start collecting and they were very enthusiastic about it. False teachers came in to discredit Paul and the gospel and they followed their lead. It resulted in sin and also the stoppage of collecting for this need. Paul writes a severe sorrowful letter to them pointing out the falseness of the false teachers and the sin that needed to be repented of. They repented and good reports were coming back to Paul through Titus who delivered that letter. Now Paul was sending Titus and a couple others to encourage them to get back to what they originally had pledged before his arrival to collect and take this gift to the church in Jerusalem.
Paul gives them a farming principle. If you plant a little then you will get a little. If you plant a lot then you will get a lot. If you invest a little then you will get a little. If you invest a lot then you will get a lot. The harvest is directly proportional to the planting. Something is going to be received by them with their giving or their sowing with the collection for the persecuted saints. What they are going to receive will match the effort that they have put into it.
Paul then addresses this giving not as just a group activity but a very individual, personal commitment. "Each one" is the phrase used to show this detail to the individual and then "must" gives us the command to follow on giving.
The first principle is "as he has purposed in his heart" which means that it has been thought through and planned. There has been some discussion with God on this and some prayer over how to proceed in the giving of their resources. Giving is not a side issue with God.
The second principle is "not grudgingly" meaning not with grief or sorrow or sadness. This giving is not to happen with regret or reluctance. After you have talked with God about this then the gift is given in peace.
The third principle is not "under compulsion" meaning to bow to some external pressure as the defining factor. We may receive the information of the need through external resources but the decision to give needs to come from within and not from some arm twisting technique.
The result of following these commands is a cheerful giver that God loves to see. God loves to see His children, when faced with a need, come to Him for guidance and direction and then give in peace to know that God is going to meet that need. How great is it that we get to be a part of it! That attitude is what God loves when we possess it when we give.
v.8, 9 - And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; as it is written, "He scattered abroad, He gave to the poor, His righteousness endures forever."
What will they receive when they give God's way? They will receive more of the understanding and experiencing of God's grace. They will see more of the sufficiency of God on their lives. They will be so much more aware of God's provision supplying so that they can give even more.
Why do we have what we have? Is it solely for ourselves or is it to be used in some way to give glory back to God? These are questions we need to think about when we look at our possessions and giving.
Paul inserts in Psalm 112:9 here that we will be imitating or mimicking the giving of God who sows much, gives to those in need and with it comes a righteousness that never ends. We will be experiencing a righteousness of God in our giving when we give God's way. What we receive is so much more than what we have given. What we give has been given to us by God and what we receive back comes from God also.
"Lord, heighten my awareness of what I give and how I give. Help me to see what You have put before me to show this obedience in Your name. May I take more time in prayer and thought about what I am giving or maybe what I need to start giving to. Help me see the worship of You in my giving. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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