Expanding Your Life

In 2 Corinthians 9, the apostle Paul taught the Corinthians a critical principle of generosity:

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.… And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:6, 8 NIV).

He started by telling them to remember. Why did he write this? Because it’s easy for us to forget. The natural mind assumes that, if you give something away, you will have less for yourself. It seems painfully obvious. If you give a dollar, it no longer is yours. If you don’t give the dollar, it remains yours. Simple. But Paul was revealing the deeper principle that our natural minds often miss.

Because God is teaching your heart to be generous like his heart, he treats your money like a seed. Every farmer knows that the seed that stays in your hand does you no good. In order to receive a harvest, the farmer has to let go of the seed. Functionally, he loses control. The seed is in the ground. But it is under the earth where growth must take place. The seed sprouts into a plant, produces a crop, and generates thousands of seeds to replace the one that was sown.

This sentiment was powerfully captured in the book of Proverbs when the author wrote, “The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped” (Proverbs 11:24–25 THE MESSAGE).

Paul was not teaching that we should give so that we can get. That’s the wrong motive for generosity. We should give simply for the joy of giving—to become more like God and to reflect his image. But the truth remains: it is actually more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).

When you give much, God reciprocates by giving much back to you. Does it always return in the same form you gave it? No. Does a seed look like the plant it produces? Not really. Giving money away doesn’t always mean you’ll get money back—but it does mean you’ll receive life. Life is, of course, the point after all—and it may come in the form of inner peace, deeper joy, greater opportunity, or financial benefit. However it comes, those who sow finances will receive an abundance of life in return (2 Corinthians 9:8).

Paul’s promise to generous people is stunning. He made it clear that your surplus will always exceed your sacrifice. But you have to trust. You have to step out. You have to embrace being uncomfortable and losing that sense of control.

There are functionally only two ways to live when it comes to our money. We can operate from a scarcity mentality, or we can learn to develop an abundance mentality.

Scarcity thinking comes naturally to all of us. It asks, “What about me? I’m afraid I won’t have enough. If I give, I will have less.” An abundance mentality flows from a deep conviction of the love of God. It says, “I have a Father in heaven! He takes responsibility for me and is my provider! He has promised to supply more than enough for his kids, and when I give, he trusts me with more.”

Scarcity is rooted in fear. It still views my things as my source. Abundance is rooted and grounded in love. It views God as my source. The only way we learn to grow in abundance thinking is by stretching the boundaries of our generosity year after year. As we trust God and learn to be generous, God knits our hearts to his purpose over our own. The habit of generosity grows our love and teaches us to value the things of God.

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