Thoughts to Ponder from 2 Corinthians 9:6-11

2 Corinthians 9:6-11 (ESV)

The Cheerful Giver

⁶ The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷ Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. ⁹ As it is written,

“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
    his righteousness endures forever.”

¹⁰ He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹ You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.

“God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

In George Eliot’s novel Silas Marner, the main character is a weaver who becomes obsessed with the gold he earns from his trade. His heart is “a locked casket with its treasure inside” – until one night his gold is stolen. Marner is crushed until he finds another treasure: A little orphaned girl shows up on his doorstep. When he opens his home to her, he finds a reward far greater than gold.

Silas Marner learned a lesson similar to the one that Paul is teaching here – that we can “have” only what we give away. It is only as we use our possessions and our talents for the common good that they really bring us life and gratification. On the other hand, if we look out only for ourselves, we end up empty-handed! As Jesus explained it, “To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even waht he seems to have will be taken away” (Luke 8:18).

God truly wants to give us a life filled with his blessings. But his ways are not always our ways. While the world tells us to hold on to what we have and keep trying to get more, God urges us to be generous and not be consumed with the bottom line to the exclusion of everything else. In God’s economy, the rich person is not someone who has a lot but someone who loves a lot.

We all want to be charitable, but many of us aren’t sure that the reward of generosity outweigh the sacrifice. It is only as we step out in faith and act on the opportunities that God gives to us that we will see how faithful he is. Our whole perspective can change as we start looking for the chance to bless the people around us, especially the poor and needy. We find, often to our surprise, that Jesus has been there all along, just waiting for us to reach out to him in this way. And that discovery changes us from the inside out. So listen for God’s voice today, and trust his leading. He has a mission for you!

Lord, open my heart to love and my hands to give. Let me see the needs of my brothers and sisters, and give me what I need to help them. Amen.

From The Word Among Us, June 17th, 2009