Irvin Wasswa-Tylertown Campus Pastor LHBC

2 Corinthians 9:6-8

6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully[d] will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency[e] in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”

The story goes that there was a  missionary who was speaking at a local church about his work overseas. During the service he was to receive an offering to help out with the work. A man was sitting in one of the pews about halfway up in the church. He had folded his arms and sat with a grim look, a scowl and a frown. He evidently didn’t want to be there. When the usher held the plate in front of him, he just shook his head in disgust. The usher jiggled the plate invitingly. Still the only response was the head shake. The usher leaned over and whispered, “It’s for missions, you know.” Still the scowl and a mumbled sentence, “I don’t believe in ’em.” This usher was a sharp man. He leaned down and said, “Then you take some out. It’s for the heathen, anyway.”

The man in the crowd was not willing to give was he? He had a tight hold on his stuff. The apostle Paul gives us some instructions in 2 Corinthians 9 about giving doesn’t he? He makes mention of how we are called to be a people who give! He shares the reality that those who sow generously will reap generously and those who sow sparingly will reap sparingly. The reality is that the Lord blesses those who give. Now don’t get me wrong, this is not prosperity gospel. When we choose to be generous doesn’t mean that God will provide us with a new car or a million dollars, but it does mean that He does bless us in return. He goes on to share the truth that we ought to be a people who are cheerful givers, not giving out of compulsion or reluctancy. As people of God we ought to be cheerful givers as we go through life. Whether it be giving our tithes and offerings in the church house, to giving financially to those in need around us, whether it be through organizations or those less fortunate.

The reason why we should be givers is because our Lord has freely given to us. Did you know that the Lord is a generous God? Oh man he has richly blessed us! How has He blessed us? I am so glad you asked!

  1. He has blessed us with new life in Him- In 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul says that anyone who is in Christ is a new creation, the old has passed away and behold the new has come. God sent His Son Jesus to earth to take our punishment on the Cross so that we could have a relationship with Him. Talk about Generous! He didn’t have to send His Son, but listen He wanted us.
  2. He has blessed us with all that we have- Listen, all that you and i have here on earth, from possessions, to children, to our job is all from God. Every good and perfect gift is from Him. He is a loving father who takes care of His children and listen He has taken care of you and I. As a matter of fact we have been given much more than we deserve.

With this understanding that our Lord has been generous with us, our response ought not to be hoarders of what we have but cheerful givers. Remember, we are merely stewards of our stuff, not owners! It is all His anyways that our call is to be generous with it. This morning, would you consider yourself to be a cheerful giver? If not this morning ask the Lord to shift your perspective and open your heart to be a cheerful giver for His glory. Choose today not to be like the grumpy man in the illustration who was reluctant to give, but rather to be the child of God willing to give generously as God leads in your life. 

PRAYER FOR TODAY: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for being a generous giver! Thank you for giving the ultimate gift, your Son Jesus Christ! Lord give me a heart of generosity today. Help to show me the importance of being a cheerful giver. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:  

Ephesians 4:29 ESV

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.