2 Corinthians Part 9 (Don't let me down)

“It is superfluous for me to write to you about the offering for the saints” (ch9 v1).
That is, for the church in Jerusalem. He means it ought to be superfluous. Obviously it isn’t, because he spent the previous chapter on this topic.

He has already been boasting about their readiness to the churches of Macedonia, telling them that Achaia (the name of the Roman province of the Peloponnese) was ready twelve months ago. This would have been his way of encouraging the Macedonians to imitate them.

So one reason for sending the advance party of Titus and the rest is to forestall the possible embarrassment of Paul arriving himself in the company of the Macedonian representatives and discovering, in their presence, that his claims about Corinth have been empty. One effect would be that the Macedonians themselves would feel deceived by Paul and he would be humiliated. This can be prevented if the full Corinthian contribution is ready to go when he arrives. Then it can be seen as a willing gift, and not something exacted under obvious pressure. If arm-twisting is necessary, let it be done more kindly by Titus.

Finally, he encourages generosity by dwelling on the rewards of generosity.
Paul wants them to be giving voluntarily, not under a sense of obedience, because “God love a cheerful giver”.
“He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (v9) The Lord will reward those who give. In fact he will provide them with every blessing in abundance, so that, besides having everything they need for themselves, they will also continue to be able to provide for good works. He will increase “the harvest of your righteousness”.

Following on from that, their generosity will bring about many acts of thanksgiving, in this in turn will bring glory to God as the rest of the church recognises their obedience. The rest of the churches will then “long for you and pray for you” in their gratitude.

In summary, “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift”.

That is the end of Paul’s message, and he is now ready to wind up the letter in ch13.
The interval is covered by three additional chapters, but his reasons for starting to write again will have to be left for later consideration.

God gives the seeds to sow, those who have been given much can give much, everybody is free to give as much as he wants. He uses a lot of sentences just to tell them, we were about to do something, let us do it right.

a reply to: DISRAELI

Lovely analysis, DISRAELI. God is indeed a cheerful giver of gifts: Primarily, the gift of love. Everyone is born with spiritual gifts from the Lord, and it is our duty as children of God to spread those gifts and good works while we proclaim to the ends of the earth the good news about King Jesus.

Dwelling upon the rewards of generosity reminds me of dwelling upon the generosity of God. So long as one endeavors to do what is right and good and just, the end result is never something negative, despite the fallible nature of mankind.

I can attest to the fact that God provides for me in all things. I have done nothing to deserve the abundance that God gifts me, and I am exceedingly blessed. I have everything I need and my relationship with God is such that He gives me things that I desire, too. I am rich in love.

That said, back to the message itself: Paul is absolutely correct that one must give freely and with no intent to receive anything. Simply giving for the sake of kindness and out of love is the point.

Just as God sent his son Jesus to die for our sins because he loves us so much, so should we endeavor to imitate that pure agape love for all people. In doing so, we can properly utilize our God-given gifts.

No, it isn't easy to do. Yes, it's a lonely path at times. Tribulation comes in many forms, but it's completely worth it. Serving God and Jesus is the best. Even though I try my best, I'm probably awful at it, but God's really nice. I don't serve for a reward. I choose to do what I do because I love God and Jesus. I think that God's love is the best reward ever. The cool part is, God loves everyone!

Simply put, before I keep rambling on about how cool God and Jesus are, love is the key to cheerfully giving of oneself to help others.

The Bible says that whatever one treasures, that that's where one's heart is. So if we treasure God's love, our heart's treasure is more abundant than all of the physical riches in the world.

Everyone has been given so much. We are all precious and unique creations. Whether rich or poor: Being rich in love has nothing to do with money.

a reply to: Untun
Sometimes it takes a lot of sentences to persuade people who are trying to back out of a commitment.