The Gift that Keeps on Giving!

Image result for the indescribable gift

2 Corinthians 9:6-8,15 Generosity Encouraged

6 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. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.
Paul closes his teaching on giving with the following verses.  He has already told the Corinthians how anxious he was to collect the offering they had set aside for the church in Jerusalem. Paul even sent people in advance so that when he got there with the Macedonians they would be ready  He jokes with them a little saying, "I have already been bragging about you to the other churches, so you better come through!" 
But one of the reasons he wants them to be prepared is that he doesn't want them to give under compulsion or obligation.  It is really important for Paul not only that they follow through on their pledge but do it with the right motivation. It is important to Paul because the heart they give with is as important as the amount.  God loves a cheerful giver. Why?  Because God doesn't necessarily need our gifts, He wants us.  We never have to worry about "outgiving God".  
And then Paul gives a precious promise.  "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." We call this an abundance mentality.  A scarcity mentality is characterized by "hoarding" and always being worried that there won't be enough.  It leads to miserly giving and no element of faith or trusting in God's provision.  Yet the one who gives generously, joyfully and freely is given a promise God that they will always have enough.  God always funds what God wants to get done.  As we trust in God with our resources, God replenishes them in many ways, not always materially.  
Finally, Paul gives us the motivation of all of our giving.  God is the ultimate gift giver.  God's generous and gracious nature is show in the sending of His Son.  Paul calls it the "indescribable gift".  It is indescribable because it comes in the form of Himself and gives us not only abundant life on earth but life everlasting.  
Charles Spurgeon gives us great quote about the nature of preaching about God's indescribable gift, Jesus Christ.  
“If you preach Christ, you will never run short. If you have preached ten thousand sermons about Christ, you have not left the shore; you are not out in the deep sea yet. Dive, my brother! With splendour of thought, plunge into the great mystery of free grace and dying love; and when you have dived the farthest, you will perceive that you are as far off the bottom as when you first touched the surface.” (Spurgeon)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Acts 22 - Paul Sees the Light

Image
6  “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.   7  I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me,  ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’  8  “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.  “  ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth,  whom you are persecuting,’  he replied.   9  My companions saw the light,  but they did not understand the voice  of him who was speaking to me.  10  “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. “  ‘Get up,’  the Lord said,  ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do. This is the famous story of the apostle Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus.  Paul was going there to persecute Jewish Christians and throw them into prison and he meets Jesus is a spectacular way.  Not only is he blinded by a briliant light, but he hears the Lord's voice audibly.  And the Lord asks him, "Lord, Lord why a...
Read more

Hebrews 6 - Have You Graduated From Elementary School of Faith Yet?

Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 6 6 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. The author once again picks up with the theme of moving on to Christian maturity.  He teaches them to move on from the "elementary" teachings about Christ. What does he mean by that?  He gives clues by citing repentance, faith, cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, and teaching on the judgment and resurrection from the dead. We might call these the basics of the Christian faith. If you read through the Apostle's Creed, which our church confesses in our 8am service, it contains many of these core doctrines.  Click here to see the Apostle's Creed Written Around “When we consider the...
Read more

2 Timothy 4 - Fight the Good Fight! Finish the Race!

Click Here to Read or Listen to 2 Timothy 4 4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. Paul gives a closing charge to Timothy. First of all, he is to preach the word. God's Word speaks to all situations and seasons. The Word of God will sometimes correct us. Our lives can get of out alignment with God's will as outlined in ...
Read more