2 Corinthians Chapter 9
In this chapter of 2 Corinthians, Paul is talking to the people at Corinth about generously giving and helping Christians in need. He goes on that giving should start from within, not pressure or guilt. A perfect example of this is that of a farmer. If you plant a few seeds, you will get a small crop. If you plant a lot of seeds, you tend to get a big harvest. The more you give, the more blessings you will receive!
Paul’s meaning is more than just giving money. Money is definitely something we should give and something so many people or organizations need, but they can also use our time, attention, and so much more. Sometimes not all Christians have an abundance of one of these things, let alone all of them at once, but it is a reminder of what we should do with it when we do have it.
So often in my life I ask myself and God, “How much should I give, how much money should I donate, how much time can I spare today?” Then the next question I ask myself, “Is that enough? Am I being too cheap? Should I have given more?” But that isn’t the point here. It isn’t dependent on the amount of these things necessarily as much as the real desire within oneself of wanting to give.
I am sure we have all been in line for coffee or at a restaurant and made the choice to “pay it forward”. It feels good to do that doesn’t it?? It does to me.
One of my wife and I’s trips to Galena one Fall, we were on the way out of town and stopped at a breakfast place. For 45 minutes we sat next to an older man and listened/watched him interact with the locals. It seemed like he went there for the food and the comradery that he might not have had at home alone. As we were leaving and paying our bill, I asked the waitress to put his on ours as well. She asked us, “Are you sure?” We said of course. She proceeds to tell us that he recently won a million dollar scratch off ticket, and that yellow hummer outside was his!
Now, my wife and I thought that was pretty crazy, but we still insisted on paying. Why? It wasn’t because we thought he was poor and needed it, but he seemed like a nice man who was nice to others and enjoyed people. And it was simply a nice thing to do, hopefully he paid it forward someday for the same reasons.
All that being said, here is what I am trying to get at…..
- Give willingly and happily, not out of guilt or pressure
- Generosity leads to abundance in life, not just money
- God will supply your needs so you can keep helping others
- We give because God first gave to us, through Jesus