The Reward of Sharing
May He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. 2 Corinthians 9:10, 11
Giving is the very essence of God. It is His nature. As John 3:16 tells us, “god so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” As we grow in Christ, His nature should become our nature. We move from impulse giving to obedient giving, then to supernatural giving. We are not to give based on what we think we can afford, but as God leads us to give. Remember this: we will never be the kind of givers we should be until we understand that we are simply stewards of God’s possessions. We don’t own it; we simply oversee it.
Paul notes five attitudes of supernatural givers in 2 Corinthians 9. They give generously (v.6). It’s not about how much you can keep, but how much you can give. They give prayerfully (“let each one give as he purposes in his heart,” v.7), cheerfully (“God loves a cheerful giver,” v.7), and faithfully (vv.8-12). As God leads us to give, we know by faith that He will take care of us. Nowhere in the Bible is there a command for us to give without a promise of return. If we are giving to glorify God, we can expect a return, one that is greater than the gift. Again and again we find evidence of this in Scripture: Proverbs 3:9, 10; Proverbs 11:24. 25; Luke 6:38; Philippians 4:15-19. Therefore, we should always give to receive, so that we will have the ability to give even more. Finally, a godly giver gives sacrificially (vv. 12-15). To give God’s way, we must be willing to give up things. But whatever we give up for the cause of Christ will come back in so many different ways. Always remember, He can and He will. You will never out-give God.
Dear Lord, give me the heart to be a good steward. Help me remember that You are my supply. All that I could ever need, You can provide! Help me be faithful and trustworthy. May the way I live and share with others be a true testimony to the love of Jesus. It’s in His name I pray. Amen
Dr. Rob Zinn, Highland, CA