2 Corinthians 9:8-11

2 Corinthians 9:8-11 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.”  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.

Paul is telling the Corinthians that they can trust God to take care of them if they are generous with what they have.  God will make his grace abound to them, so his grace can overflow to others through them.  This is true.  As we walk in the Lord and learn of him, we should have a sufficient harvest of the Spirit in our lives to share the fruit of the Spirit with others.  And Paul is not merely speaking of money or material wealth.  He says, You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous in every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.  In other words, the results of God's blessing do not stop with one person; they spread to others as we share the blessings of the Lord.  This is true of our worldly goods, this is true when we serve one another in love, and this is true when we share our testimonies of what God has done for us.  The love of God multiplies as it is shared.  As we give of ourselves, the kingdom of God advances.  As Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit."  (John 12:24 KJV) 

Every day of our lives, God provides opportunities for us to grow in grace, opportunities for his grace to abound in our lives.  As Paul would probably say, opportunities for us to die to our fleshly desires and to come alive in Christ.  These are literal choices to either serve the flesh or the spirit.  We can invest our money, time, and energy in this world and what it has to offer or we can invest in God's kingdom, his people, and his purposes.  James hits this topic head on when he says that pure religion is to look after the widows and the orphans and to keep ourselves from the pollution of this world.  He becomes even more pointed as he writes, Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  (James 2:15-17)  Now we might not think or say these specific words, but our actions or more likely our inaction says exactly that.  In ignoring the pain and sorrow of others by failing to minister to the physical needs of those around us, we fail to do the works of the kingdom of God.  We may pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done," but we are not putting feet to those prayers.

As we have been going through all of these verses on giving, I have wondered why Paul spent so much time on this topic.  He seems to be stuck in a rut, but I think the Holy Spirit through Paul saw a big inconsistency in the church at Corinth.  He saw people talking a great deal about their faith but a people unwilling to follow through, unwilling to keep their promises, unwilling to make the sacrifices that would bring blessing to others.  Are there commitments in your life that you need to fulfill?  Are there people you need to bless?  Are there financial needs that you could help alleviate?  These could be situations as simple as watching the children of a young mom who is stressed and overwhelmed from the pressures of taking care of her little family every day with little or no support or giving a gift of money to a couple on a limited income so they can enjoy a meal out.  You could go and mow the lawn for an elderly neighbor or take a pie to a family that has been on your mind.  Anything that equates loving and serving will do--generosity from a cheerful heart is the goal, and grace will abound to you in every good work.  Love, Mom (Jacqueline, sitting in for Dad today)