Written ~ 09-05-2024
Read 2 Corinthians Chapter Nine
2 Corinthians 9
Today’s Bible Study continues the topic of giving. Paul was sending Titus and two other “brothers” to see if the believers in Corinth were ready with their gifts for the believers in Jerusalem. Paul wanted to make sure they had the same enthusiasm that they first had when they started collecting for this gift.
I thought it was interesting that Paul was checking in to see where their level of enthusiasm was… Doesn’t that happen to all of us from time to time? We can get all gun-ho about something, then as time goes on, that excitement, we once experienced has faded away. Think about times in your life when you were attending church regularly, your heart was bursting with joy, you couldn’t wait to see in what way you could serve the Lord, you looked forward to helping out in any way possible. But then something happens, ever so gradually, that enthusiasm begins to fade and soon you’re no longer participating in the service to the Lord. My prayer is that all of us would regain that excitement, fill our hearts and minds with the generosity of Christ Jesus and get back out there and do what we can to serve the Lord!
2 Corinthians 9:1-4a…
1 “I really don’t need to write to you about this ministry of giving for the believers in Jerusalem. 2 For I know how eager you are to help, and I have been boasting to the churches in Macedonia that you in Greece were ready to send an offering a year ago. In fact, it was your enthusiasm that stirred up many of the Macedonian believers to begin giving.
3 But I am sending these brothers to be sure you really are ready, as I have been telling them, and that your money is all collected. I don’t want to be wrong in my boasting about you. 4 We would be embarrassed — not to mention your own embarrassment…”
Paul had been telling other churches about the wonderful strides the Corinthian church was making with the efforts to collect a gift for the Jerusalem believers. He had told other churches about their enthusiasm to help in any way they could, their passion was contagious! Other believers from the different churches in Macedonia were lit on fire! But Paul was being mindful by sending Titus to check on the Corinth believers, just to make sure they were still filled with the same enthusiasm and that the gift they had been preparing was actually ready. No need for anyone to be embarrassed!
Have you ever had someone talk about your successful service to the Lord, shared your enthusiasm with others, then come to find out you aren’t serving the Lord in that capacity anymore? Kinda lets the air out the tires, so to speak. I would imagine that’s the caution Paul is displaying here in the first few verses of chapter nine. That’s why he was sending Titus and the other two brothers, just to make sure the gift was indeed ready.
2 Corinthians 9:4b-5…
4b “…if some Macedonian believers came with me and found that you weren’t ready after all I had told them! 5 So I thought I should send these brothers ahead of me to make sure the gift you promised is ready. But I want it to be a willing gift, not one given grudgingly.”
One thing I love about Paul, he gives us a gentle push at times, doesn’t he? Even though he was pushing the believers to serve the Lord with their whole hearts, he wanted to make sure they were doing it willing, not just because of any pressure he was putting on them. That goes for you and me! The Lord wants us to serve Him… but with a heart, mind and soul that is all in! He would never want us to serve Him grudgingly. There should never be a coldness to our service to the Lord, especially when it comes to our giving.
In the next set of verses, Paul gives us a visual of what our giving should look like and the benefits of “sowing” into the Kingdom of Heaven with a willing and “all in” attitude.
2 Corinthians 9:6-10…
6 “Remember this — a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 9 As the Scriptures say,
“They share freely and give generously to the poor.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”
10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, He will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.”
When we give to the Lord, He will bless our needs; when we give generously, God will bless generously. We can’t expect the Lord to bless us generously if we aren’t willing to serve Him.
“…decide in your heart how much to give…God loves a person who gives cheerfully…then He will produce a great harvest of generosity in you…”
2 Corinthians 9:11a…
11 “Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous.”
When Paul said in verse 9:10 that God will produce generosity in you… let’s keep in mind, that when we give, it does not automatically mean our bank accounts will get larger. It is a generosity within us that will grow. In verse 9:11 Paul said, “we will be enriched in every way.” Could that mean that the Lord will give us more of a passion to serve Him? Yes. Does that mean He will give us the desire to find more ways to help those in need? Yes.
Paul commended the believers in Corinth for their generosity, he was thrilled about being able to give their gift to the believers in Jerusalem.
2 Corinthians 9:11-15…
11 “Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. 12 So two good things will result from this ministry of giving — the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.
13 As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. 14 And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you. 15 Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!”
So, you see? When we serve the Lord with all our hearts, minds and souls, the needs of others will be met. But not only that, those we help will give thanks and give praise to God with joyful hearts for our generosity.
When you and I help someone in need, and we understand the depth of their gratitude, doesn’t it create within our hearts a desire to continue helping others? Even when we get nothing in return, just the thought that a word of thanks and praise to God is being expressed, should be enough to fill our hearts to overflowing.
If we aren’t taking the steps to help those in need, how can God create a generous heart within us? Sometimes we need to take the focus off of ourselves and put it solely on serving the Lord. When we do that, we may just see a generosity bubble up that we never knew we had!
~AMEN~