GIVING, 1: THE GIFT

2 Corinthians 9 – “¹There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the saints. ²For 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. ³But 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. ⁴For 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. ⁵So 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. ⁶Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸And 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. ⁹As it is written: “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” ¹⁰Now 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. ¹¹You 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. ¹²This 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. ¹³Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, 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. ¹⁴And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. ¹⁵Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Second Corinthians 9 is about God-honoring giving.  For sake of clarity the topic starts at the end and moves to the beginning of the chapter.

The indescribable gift (V. 15)

According to the dictionary a gift is “something turned over to someone without exchange,” yet something always comes back in return. You give a gift to someone and the person becomes kinder. You give a gift and they are more receptive to you.

There is reaping in a gift and the greater the gift, the greater the reaping. Gifts of any size are appreciated but large gifts seem overwhelming and lead to greater responses. God gave the Ten Commandments and reaped a holy nation. He gave His Son and reaped multitudes of transformed lives from every nation. By giving His greatest gift, He is reaping the greatest results.

      Nothing compares to God giving eternal life to those who love and serve Him. Describing the magnitude of His gift is unimaginable. An incomprehensible gift!

What does this mean to your efforts at giving? Simply this: God is your standard-bearer. Your giving is never based solely on the request but is an expression of a meaningful relationship with Him. People who love much give much; people who love little give little.

Some give to impress others. In comparison to what God has done, no gift is impressive. The focus of giving is not the monetary amount. He has outdone anything you can possibly do.

Ananias and Sapphira gave to impress the church. (Act 4:36-5:11) The couple was fixated with the recognition Barnabas received. God saw their actions as “lying to the Holy Spirit,” costing them their lives. People are losing their soul over similar attempts. Those who give to impress others end up unhappy when the response does not meet their expectations.

God’s indescribable gift is the measurement of giving.

The obedient gift (V. 13)

 “Men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ.” Love’s expression is submission.

An obedient gift is seen in the Lord’s tithe, faithfully giving ten percent of your earnings. The Bible describes tithing as something owed to God, even adding twenty percent interest when borrowing from it. It is financially wiser to borrow from a bank than to fail giving the Lord’s tithe. Unfortunately some are only willing to give God credit for salvation and reluctant to give cash by obedience.

An obedient gift is a thanks gift. “Your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” (V.11) Edwin A. Robinson wrote, “There are two kinds of gratitude: the sudden kind we feel for what we take and the larger kind we feel for what we give.”

Genesis 14 records Abram (Abraham) defeating King Kedorlaomer on a single occasion and expressing his gratitude to God by giving a tenth of the spoils. The enemy of your soul has been defeated forever at Mount Calvary and tithing expresses thanksgiving for the ongoing victory over sin.

Throughout numerous years of overseeing churches, I have noticed that moral failure does not normally happen by people who tithed. The obedient gift expresses a depth of satisfying love that upholds a divine standard for living.

The cheerful gift (V. 7)

People are generally obsessed with money, hoarding what little they have. This is consistent with the sinful nature. You never have to teach children to hoard but must always teach them to share. Genuine freedom occurs when not dominated by money. Giving frees people from a life of bondage.

One of the most critical positions in a church involves those who administer the assets. Financial administrators oversee funds and know giving-habits. Managing church accounts and knowing how people give can greatly impact their spiritual life. They can become overly possessive of church money, treating it as personal treasury, and overly cynical of the financial stewardship of people.

In a church where I served the Deacons wanted a sizable amount of money to go toward a much-needed project. The financial administrator, a great guy, became highly stressed over the decision. He was beside himself at what this would do to the church account, his personal treasury. The action of the board seemed to be leading to a personal stroke. As he privately and anxiously talked to me about the decision I looked at him and said, “Thus saith the Lord, let My money go.” He thought for a moment and laughed. The phrase became a regular part of his vocabulary and he became free from the stress of financial burdens.

The more you give, the more you live. There is nothing more exhilarating than giving. The word “exhilarating” comes from the root word, “hilarious.” The word hilarious is from the Greek word “hilarios,” translated in the Bible as “cheerful.” Cheerful giving lifts and frees your heart. God loves a hilarious giver, someone free from bondage.

The generous gift (V. 5)

The word “generous” is the Greek word for “blessing.” Giving is a blessing and is to bless others. Ephesians 4:8 states the purpose of employment includes helping others with their needs.

Some advocate giving to receive a blessing but Scripture states to give to be a blessing. Oswald Chambers wrote, “Have no other motive in giving than to please God. In modern philanthropy we are ‘egged on’ with other motives; it will do them good, they need the help, they deserve it. Jesus Christ never brings out that aspect in His teaching. He allows no other motive in giving than to please God.”

In various Chicago locations, during the Christmas season, the Salvation Army has received gold coins in their buckets without pretense; no tax-deductible receipt and no name recognition. The only motive was to bless, the nature of a generous gift. Give to be a blessing.

The most unblessed people on earth are misers.

Faithfully give

A gift is something turned over to someone without exchange. A gift is an expression of your heart condition. The reward of a gift is thankfulness, freedom and blessing. His indescribable gift is your standard, the obedient gift is your thanksgiving, the cheerful gift is your freedom and the generous gift is your blessing. Express love to God by giving.

The next article is exclusively devoted to the great principle stated in verse six: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”