Saturday 20th May
Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-11
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 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. 9 As it is written:
“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever.”
10 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. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” (NIVUK)
This passage is one of the more abused in recent Christian history. Repeatedly used to justify a ‘prosperity gospel’ where blessings and riches are promised to those who give to the church and, when riches do not follow, the blame is passed on to the giver for not having enough faith.
At the heart of Paul’s message is a generous God. Over and over we are reminded, from passage after passage of scripture, that God is able to provide. The encouragement is to be so captured by the gospel of grace that that same grace flows out through us to others. It is the expansion of God’s grace that Paul wants us to grasp hold of and live by.
I suspect though that rather than be hoodwinked into following a ‘prosperity gospel’, which few of us are likely to succumb to, we may have erred too much in the other direction. We need to hear the message clearly – we follow a God who gives generously, abundantly and cheerfully. Jesus gave everything for the joy set before him. How much of that joy are we missing because we do not believe that God is truly generous?
