“The point is this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” – 2 Corinthians 9:6, 7
As we have already seen, our story is a love story and, therefore, it is a story of generosity…of being a blessing. Giving is a natural byproduct of genuine love and we cannot be a blessing without being willing to give freely. Therefore, if your story is a love story, then it will be a story of generosity. And, if it is a story of generosity it will be one that blesses. God modeled this connection in one of the most well-known verses in our story, “For God so loved the world that He GAVE.. that whosoever…” (John 3:16). God’s generosity revealed His love and was a blessing to all who would believe.
In this second letter to the Church in Corinth, Paul is letting the young church know what this love looks like practically. He is reminding the believers that the grace that each of us has so freely received from our loving God should inspire us to give to others…and to give generously. In other words, we are loved so that we can be loving. We have been blessed in order to a blessing to others. Remember Abraham earlier in our story? You see, God has always remained consistent in our story from the very beginning. He has always loved, He has always been generous and…He has always called us to do the same.
So, in our ever increasingly self-absorbed society, how do we become more “bountiful” givers? How do we keep the story…our story…on track? I think today Paul gives us some practical “How to’s” and it begins with recognizing how blessed we are. If we realize that all that we have or will ever need comes generously from our loving Father, we gain perspective on the things that we “possess”. You see, our story is financed and resourced by the Author Himself. He is not only the source of our story but He is the Executive Producer! He has provided you everything that you need to live out the life you were created to live. Paul said to the people of Corinth,
“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. You will be enriched in every way for all your generosity…” 2 Corinthians 9:10, 11.
God will take care of us and, therefore, we are free to be generous with all He gives us! This allows us to give “bountifully” and “cheerfully”. Generosity cannot be forced anymore than love can be forced. It is a natural response to the grace of God to us. We love because He first loved us and we give because He first gave to us! Generosity is a way of life…an attitude…better yet, a “heartitude”.
You can give without being generous. Like Paul says above, you can give under compulsion or begrudgingly. You can be forced to give like a brother forced to share his candy stash with his sister…this is not generosity. You can give but really not want to…complaining the whole time…this is not generosity.
True generosity is excited about giving. It anticipates and looks for opportunities to bless others. It is a giving that doesn’t need to receive credit for the gift because the joy of the recipient is reward enough. Have you experienced that? I’m sure there were moments you can remember when you sat on the edge of your seat as someone you loved tore into a present that you had given them. Then to see the joy as they say, “Oh you shouldn’t have.”
O Believer, our story is to be a loving one and a generous one! A story of being blessed and being a blessing! How can you bless someone today? How can you show generosity to another?
Today, make sure your story is a generous one!