Yet I have sent the
brethren,
lest our boasting of
you should be
in vain in this
respect, that,
as I said, you may be
ready;
lest if some
Macedonians come
with me and find you
unprepared,
we (not to mention
you!)
Should be ashamed of
this confident boasting.
Therefore I thought
it necessary to exhort
the brethren to go to
you ahead of time,
and prepare your
generous gift beforehand,
which you had
previously promised,
that it may be ready
as a matter of generosity
and not as a grudging
obligation.
2 Corinthians 9: 3 --
5
Paul
intimated that some Macedonians might come with Titus to aid in their promise
to give gifts to other churches and that the collection if not made by then
would make them, not him, ashamed. By this admonition Paul was careful in the
preservation of their reputation as well as his own. What can we learn from this?
Christians have the responsibility to see to it that their reputation,
that is, of their profession to be a Christian, you should adorn the doctrine
of God and Jesus Christ our Savior and all things. But Corinthians had promised to provide a gift, even a generous
contribution and this was to be done not grudgingly nor out of obligation,
rather than they were two offer this gift out of their loved for God, our
Savior Jesus Christ, and the brothers and sisters in Christ. Is this not also true of us today that we
are to give not out of obligation? Far too often we give grudgingly, or have
been coerced to give, even more than we have the right to give. What I mean by
this is, that often times we will give out of what we have and what we have
should have gone to pay bills, or to take care of the family. To often this is done as if expecting that
God will provide in this is found in the prosperity gospel that is being
preached in many churches today. Too
often in many churches there is an appearance of an extortion complied money,
or even works, and then this extortion is veiled in some scripture to give it
the validity. Too often contributions
are given reluctantly when any gift should be given from gratitude, and as an
act of praise and thanksgiving. Our
giving should spring from love, and a disposition to do good too and four the
brethren. What occurs is that there is
a forgetfulness of the principles and obligations, and self-love for their
brothers and sisters. Why? Because it contends powerfully against the
constraining love of Jesus Christ, therefore it as with Paul and the Corinthian
church, and as with us is necessary to stir up our minds and remember that as
authentic Christians we do not live for ourselves only. There is a principle, or a rule, a law, that
we should be reminded of: "But this
I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows
bountifully will also reap bountifully" (2 Corinthians 9: 6). This is not a new rule set forth by Paul: "There is one who scatters, yet
increases more; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads
to poverty. The generous soul will be
made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself" (Proverbs 11:
24 -- 25). This rule or law was
stated once again: "He who has a
generous eye will be blessed, for he gives up his bread to the poor"
(Proverbs 22:). Far too many
preachers in other church leaders use what was written about being generous and
being blessed by this generosity to preach that if you give you will simply get
but this is far from what is being taught.
What is being taught is your disposition in regard to your giving is in
relationship to why you gave in and to whom you gave it: "So let it to one give as the purposes in his heart, and not
grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound
toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency and all things, may have an
abundance for every good work, as it is written: ‘He has dispensed abroad, he
has given to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever" (2 Corinthians
9: 7 -- 9). What is it that you
should expect when you give as an authentic Christian who gives out of
love? Gods grace! And this God will give to you abundantly
even as he will ensure that you will have what you need, you're
sufficiency. There's no speaking of
giving you prosperity. Your prosperity
is of no concern to God! What is of
God's concern is your heart condition!
If you are not giving according to the rule of God that says a Christian
must give out of love for him and for the brothers and sisters then why should
that Christian expect anything from God.
There has
been for some time within the church a push that a Christian must be a 10% is
always been a question out of the gross income or the net income and there's
been many answers. If you feel that God
has spoken to you to give that amount then give it for your promise to
God. But don't fall into this trap that
you must give 10% as you can find in some false religions such as the
Mormons. This also falls into the
realm of giving of your time for you must set forth in your life priorities and
the priorities should come from your prayer life, your reading of Scripture,
and even the use of common sense. Let
me share something with you from my past.
For 17 years I was associated with another religious group and while I
came to learn that they were teaching heresy in their religious doctrine there
were certain practices that we should take notice. Those practices when it came
to giving was simply done in this manner: there were contribution boxes with a
slit in the top of a person could put their contribution in the box and never
was there a call for a giving or the passing of contribution plates. Never was there not enough money to pay the
bills. So it can be done! What is required? That a person not only gives him the need of the church which is
the brothers and sisters and other needs for the buildings and property is
given because of their love for God and for our Savior Jesus Christ. Maybe it's also be true of you!
He who loves pleasure will be a poor man;
he who
loves wine and oil
will not be rich.
Proverbs 21: 17
Give to God out of your love for Him
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