Study 67
Jesus sits and watches
‘Let’s all give generously.’ No, Paul didn’t tell the Corinthians that. He was more specific and began to distinguish between people. ‘Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously’ (2 Cor. 9:6). He knew that people would respond differently when invited to give. There’d be liberality here and reluctance there.
God is interested in our giving
Jesus highlighted the same distinction when he ‘sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury’ (Mark 12:41). Most ministers and stewards don’t watch what you give. Jesus was different. He actually sat opposite the treasury, distinguished between givers and evaluated their motivation.
Paul wanted individuals to ‘give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion’ (2 Cor. 9:7). Giving isn’t a casual affair: ‘It’s been a demanding month but I’ve got a bit of loose change in my pocket – that will do.’ God wants you to give what’s right, not what’s left! Proverb 4:23 says, ‘Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life’. Giving has to do with purpose of heart. The Kingdom of God takes priority. Giving under protest is not God’s idea of joyful worship and doesn’t glorify him. Hearts that are gladdened by grace are free to give. And ‘God loves a cheerful giver’ (2 Cor. 9:7).
Sowing and reaping
Paul’s ‘sowing and reaping’ theme is unexpected. What does giving have to do with sowing? Surely they’re two very different activities. When you give something it’s no longer yours and you have less than you had before. You had five, you gave away two, now you have three left. Sowing is an altogether different principle. When you sow you don’t lose what you have because you commit it to a process.
For Paul, giving was actually sowing, a principle that anticipates the multiplication of seed and which involves God’s supernatural activity. ‘Now 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. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion’ (2 Cor. 9:10,11). If you’re a sower, God will give you more seed and enable you to give more.
Maybe you’re thinking, ‘Isn’t this a bit like “prosperity preaching” as promoted by American TV evangelists?’ Certainly we must beware of the excesses associated with the application of their teaching, but we must also remember that sowing and reaping is a thoroughly biblical principle (see verses below).
Charles Hodge, a reformed Bible commentator says, ‘It is edifying to notice the difference between divine wisdom and the wisdom of men. Human wisdom says it is wrong to appeal to any selfish motive. Divine wisdom tells all who thus deny themselves that they most effectively promote their own interests. It is right to present to men the divinely ordained consequences of their actions as motives to control their conduct. It is right to tell men that obedience to God, devotion to his glory and the good of others will effectually promote their own welfare.’
If you respond to his principles of seed sowing, God will give you more seed for sowing. This is a biblical promise that invites faith and action. And it’s all of grace. God favours you with amazing kindness and then makes your heart willing to abandon possessiveness so that you give freely. He then involves you in a process that makes grace abound, supplying ever increasing grace to the giver and making you a channel of grace to many.
‘Because 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. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you’ (2 Cor. 9:13,14).
To Meditate On
You reap according to what you sow.
‘One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty’ (Prov. 11:24).
‘Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you’ (Luke 6:38).
‘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’ (2 Cor. 9:8).
Food For Thought
Read 1 Timothy 6:17-19 and Luke 12:16-21 alongside one another.
What was the man’s attitude?
What was his primary focus?
What could he have done with his wealth (be specific)?
What didn’t he take into account?
What did Jesus call him?
What could have been the result of his generosity?
Does Luke 12:21 apply to you?
To Do
Read 1 Corinthians 16:2-4.
Review your monthly giving to the local church.
Could you give more?
If you don’t give through an automatic monthly transfer from your bank to your church, why not set this up?
Can your church reclaim any tax on your gifts? If so, make the most of the opportunity.
To Be Inspired
‘Paul is saying in effect that the key to this kind of joyful, sacrificial generosity is faith in future grace. When you trust in future grace the way the Macedonians did, your life becomes a grace. The key is to turn from the glory and guarantee of bygone grace and put your faith firmly in future grace – that “God is able (in the future) to make all (future) grace abound to you” so that your needs are met and so that you will be able, like the amazing Macedonians, to overflow with the love of liberality. Freedom from greed comes from faith in future grace’.
John Piper, Future Grace, Multnomah Books, 1995 |
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