If we think about why people (probably starting with ourselves) are sometimes not generous, there can be legitimate reasons. For instance, maybe someone doesn’t have anything to give that will help a very specific need, or maybe God isn’t calling them to be generous for a specific opportunity because He has other plans.
However, I think that one reason I struggle with being more generous is because I worry that I won’t have enough left. However, 2 Corinthians 9:8-11 reminds us that, with God, generosity is not a zero-sum situation. A gift of generosity may leave someone else better off, but the giver does not have less than he or she needs. God is sovereign over the entire universe, and if He somehow ran out of provisions for His family, He could literally make more. As a result, in God’s kingdom, reallocating to others some of what He’s trusted us with may result in us having even more, so that we can continue to be generous.
When God calls you to be generous (which I think He asks us to be all of the time, even if we aren’t called to give to everything that we hear about), there is no need to worry if you will have enough “left over”. It’s kind of like when one of our kids is going to an event, and we’re willing to cover their expenses but we don’t have any cash to send them out with. If we ask them to pay for something themselves, they know that we are willing and able to pay them back. I’m not saying that God owes us anything, of course. However, if I – despite being a fallen human being – can take care of my children, how much more can a transcendent God continue to take care of us when we share with others what He has entrusted to us, in the way that He calls us to?
Now, while the Bible seems clear that God provides for His people, I think that we have to be careful not to tell God how He “should” take care of us. There’s no “cosmic vending machine”, where you put in an offering and get back health, wealth, and fame. God knows better than we do what we need, and He also sees the bigger picture, so the only question is whether or not we believe that: whether we are confident that God can – and is – doing the right thing.
Just as God calls His people today to give (at the right times and in the right ways) for a good reason, there’s also a purpose to the opportunity that Paul is presenting to the Corinthians.
This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.
2 Corinthians 9:12-13 NIV
(See also the larger passage at 2 Corinthians 9:12-15.) Now, if I were to ask various people on the street what our purpose on earth is, they might say things like, “Do good work”, “Love your neighbor”, “Eat, drink, and be merry”, or “Get all you can while the getting is good”.
However, the Westminster Catechism asks and answers the question like this:
“What is the chief end of man?
Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.”
(The Westminster Shorter Catechism – Ligonier Ministries)
Now, that’s a catechism (from a different faith tradition from my own) and not – as far as I know – a direct passage from the Bible; however, this principle is reflected in 2 Corinthians, where part of the benefits of the Corinthians’ generosity include praise [NIV] or thanksgiving [NASB] to God!
So, when we struggle to be generous, let’s remember that blessings in God’s kingdom are unlimited. And, when we are generous, let’s remember that by doing so, we can bring thanks and praise to God, Himself. That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?
From Sunday School lesson prepared for May 26, 2024
References:
- The Lookout, May 26, 2024, © 2024 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – 2 Corinthians, by William R. Baker. © 1999 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 