Christian Foundations 4 - ServiceSample

GIVE GENEROUSLY 

When Paul started his GoFundMe campaign for the distressed Christians in Jerusalem, the Corinthian church was one of the first to sign up. They were keen to serve others who were not as well off, and this was a great opportunity to help. So they pledged big bucks. But between the commitment and the collection, things shifted. Maybe there was a recession. Maybe they felt that they had got a little carried away. Maybe they had a problem with Paul as the distributor. Whatever the reason their generosity had cooled. Paul writes to them to remind them of the huge benefits of generous giving. Here is some of what he says.

Read: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Journal

1. What is God saying to me? Which verse is most significant?

2. What do I want to discuss/explore further?

3. What do I need to do?

4. What does Paul say are the benefits of generous giving?

Reflect

I love chocolates so much that I occasionally treat myself to a whole box of expensive chocolates just for me. I savor each one and eat them slowly. I keep my favorite chocolates for last. I hide them from family members if necessary because I know that once they’re gone, that’s it. Some people think of money that way. You need to save and protect it because there’s a very limited supply. This sounds responsible, but with this mindset, it’s very difficult to be generous. It’s a big challenge to give away your hard-earned cash. Someone once said that our wallet is the last thing to be converted.

Paul paints a very different picture of money for the newly-stingy Corinthians. Money is actually seed to be planted. The more you plant, the greater your crop. When you get your head around this biblical concept, it will revolutionize your approach to money. God has given us resources. We are not to see these resources as our personal reward and therefore to hoard them or spend them on ourselves, but to invest them in the needs of others.

That’s when the blessings of money really begin to flow. Paul says that the recipients get blessed (9:12), God gets blessed (9:13), and the giver gets blessed (9:10, 14). He even suggests that when God sees a really generous giver, he’s likely to allocate them more resources (9:10-11). That makes sense. God loves to see his seed widely planted.

Paul is not promoting irresponsibility when it comes to our spending. That would be a poor use of the resources God entrusts to us. He’s pushing for generosity. “God loves a cheerful giver.” A Jesus follower gives generously to their church (10% is a benchmark that many use, but it depends on your circumstances), to a mission, and to the disadvantaged in our world. God lets us sort out our giving personally. There are no hard and fast rules, no “compulsion” (9:7). But he has given you seed to plant and giving is going to bring great blessing to God, others, and especially to you. So be generous.

Pray

Forgive me Lord when I try to horde or protect the resources that you have given me. I want to be responsible of course, but you are a generous and openhanded God and everything belongs to you and comes from you. Teach me generosity. Open my heart and hands to freely sow the seed you have given me to plant.

Respond

Decide how you can be more generous with your resources. Make a commitment to do something about it right now. Don’t put it off.