Cheerful Giving
2 Corinthians 9
Cheerful Giving, 2 Corinthians 9. This is probably one of the hardest duties for us to obey. I know that when money gets really low and the bills pile up, it is hard to give to God first.
God is able to make all grace
abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things,
may abound to every good work.
II Corinthians 9:8, KJV
Cheerful Giving
2 Corinthians 9
Our benediction today from 2 Corinthians 9 deals with the topic of giving. The Corinthian believers had been generous in their gifts to the ministry in the past, and Paul is encouraging them to continue to do so. He reminds them in verses 6 and 7 of chapter 9 in the book of 2 Corinthians that God provides for his people in proportion to their cheerful giving.
6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly;
and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give;
not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
This
reminds me of the Old Testament story of Elisha, who went to a widow
woman during a time of famine and asked for food. She replied that she
only had enough flour and oil to make cakes for her and her son. Elisha
told her that she should make the flour and oil into a cake for him
first, and that God would supply for her and her son. She did what
Elisha asked, and sure enough, all during the time of famine she never
ran out of oil and flour.
This
is probably one of the hardest duties for us to obey. I know that when
money gets really low and the bills pile up, it is hard to give to God
first. Then, I am reminded of the words of David the King: I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. (Psalm 37:25)
As
I think through the last 33 years that my husband and I have been married, God has,
indeed, faithfully provided. Life has not been without a struggle,
though. But, even when my husband lost his job, God brought us through
that time through gifts from friends and family. It was many years
before my husband was able to look back at that time and thank God for
that job loss, but time certainly gives us a different perspective. God
truly has been faithful to us!
Pray
for faith to make you obedient to give to God first, remembering that
we should give cheerfully and not because we feel we must.
God
is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all
sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.
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