Give 2!

Give 2!

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

Yesterday's devotion was taken from the old testament, and for those who may wonder if the new dispensation has a similar message, the verse above is the answer. Irrespective of the generation or the dispensation, giving has always been at the center of God's heart. He would not ask me to do something He has not first done; there is no way a mortal man can outgive an immortal God. He gave his one and only begotten Son as a gift to pay the full price of sin for the whole world. If He could do what He did, He has laid down the perfect example of the attitude and ability that are needed from those who claim to know and follow Christ, when it comes to giving. The first expectation, therefore, is to sort out my identity. Does God know me as His own? It is critical that this be sorted out, as the commands of God are for his disciples and citizens. 

Paul was indeed writing to the church in Corinth, and as he would always do, he defined his audience: to the assembly of God, and to all the people of God throughout Achaia. The audience will always drive the expectations. The people of the world also know the value of giving, and there are several schemes that support those who do acts of charity. Even governments know the value of  giving, and would provide tax breaks to people who are known to give regularly. If the world knows the value of giving, how much more should those who know God be even more willing to give. One other quick lesson from the verse above is that the value of the return is defined by the value of the giving. Just like Christ who gave his life for the world, look at the billions who have now been saved, and are still being saved, through the act of giving that happened many centuries ago. 

You cannot give what you do not have, but let it be that whatever you have is a tool that God cam use to bless the world around you. God will not demand from me that which He has not first supplied grace for. The heart with which I give will also define the scope and depth of what I get in return. If I do not create space in my room to receive more, I cannot get more. If I do not move things out first, I cannot move things in. Only in God do you find the command to first give in order to receive. The world will lay emphasis on how much it can keep from what it gets. The Word of God lays emphasis on the heart with which I give as the basis of what I get. Forget the monetary value; the widow who gave two copper mites gave more than those who threw in large sums of money. Sow the right way; watch God return the favour with abundance. God's time of favour is here.