October 22, 2024

II Corinthians 9.8 (NIV)

God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Few persons are ever reduced to poverty by liberality . . . But . . . there are multitudes who are made poor by the lack of liberality.*

In the earlier verses of this chapter, Paul bragged on the Corinthians for their eagerness to help and how their enthusiasm had stirred others to action. Being the cheerleader that he was, Paul hoped to urge the Corinthians to keep their momentum going. Keep up the good work, he might have said. Don’t be afraid that you will become impoverished because of your generosity to others. “Where the generous spirit is,” he might have maintained, “God will provide the means of expressing it.”*

Is Paul promising that our generosity will make us wealthy? Doesn’t it sound like we should expect that the more we give, the more we get? Look again. He says that in all things, at all times, we will have all that we need. What you can expect for your benevolence is the means to continue being benevolent.  For those who already know the blessedness of giving, that is very good news!

Take the challenge. Give generously to someone in need. See if you miss what you gave away. See if you can out-give God.

We are not really poorer by what we give away.*