Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

When we give, we must do so willingly and cheerfully. Cheerful giving results in sowing bountifully and trusting in God’s promise of a bountiful harvest. We must remember that everything we have already belongs to the Lord. One of my favorite Timothy Keller quotes states, “A lack of generosity refuses to acknowledge that your assets are not really yours, but God's.” As we cheerfully give, we are acknowledging that everything we have is a gift from God, and our giving becomes an act of worship. Giving is an opportunity to partner with God on His mission. When we give with a cheerful heart, we are doing what the Lord has called us to do which is to lead people to know, love, and follow Christ through our act of generosity.

Paul uses an agricultural metaphor to explain the importance of giving. He talks about sowing seeds to reap a plentiful harvest. The phrase “reaping what you sow” often brings up a negative connotation in my mind. I think it’s because I have heard this phrase used synonymously with the word “revenge”. The way I have heard it used many times before is if someone has wronged me, then there is no need to worry because “they will reap what they sow”. In other words, they will get what is coming to them, but after reading this passage, I have a new and more positive perspective on that phrase. Paul is saying that we need to focus on our own giving. He is using the metaphor to show us that just as the farmer who sows sparingly will reap a meager harvest, the simple principle applies to our generosity. We limit our impact of showing God’s love and grace when we give sparingly. We do not get to fully participate in God’s work when we give grudgingly. However, if we give generously and cheerfully, then we, as well as the receivers, will be abundantly blessed.

After explaining to Corinthian Christians about what it means to give with a generous heart, Paul reiterates that there is joy in giving. The giver is blessed just as much as the receiver. In chapter 9 verses 6-8, Paul tells the church, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• When you give, is it out of a conviction by the Holy Spirit? Is it because of your heart for the people that God has placed in your path?  Maybe it's from a feeling of obligation.  Evaluate where you are in your journey with giving.
• Prayer: Dear God, thank You for being a God that gives good gifts.  Help me to give with a joyful and loving heart.  Guide and correct the way I view the call to give generously.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Family Devo: 2 Corinthians 9

By: Amanda Carpenter

When partnering with your family to know, love, and follow Jesus, we strive to create and share content filtered by the Head-Heart-Hands model. 

Head: the knowledge of God and His Word | Heart: the personal connection from scripture | Hands: a missional mindset 

In 2 Corinthians 9:6, Paul compares giving to working in a garden. He says, “The one who plants only a little will gather only a little. And the one who plants a lot will gather a lot.” 

Every summer, someone gives us a few plants. We plant them, forget about them, and harvest a total of two tomatoes and one good squash for a good year. My friends, however, plant LOTS of veggies that they weed and water daily. They have more than their family can eat, so they give us tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, zucchini - you name it, we have it in abundance. They worked hard and were able to give generously. We worked very little and had very little even for ourselves. Just like working in a garden, Paul tells us that if we work hard in giving our time, talents, and money, then we will see LOTS of good things happen. We are allowing God to use us to change the lives of others for the better.

It’s not always easy doing what God has called us to do. Sometimes we just want to sleep late on Sunday morning instead of getting up to go to church, or we want to play with our friends and ignore the child sitting by himself. Paul tells us that if we keep making ourselves available, we will see the good things that come from our work and experience joy from watching someone learn to love Jesus. 2 Corinthians 9:13-14 says, “So other people will praise God because you obey him... They will also praise God because you share freely with them and with everyone else.” What if someone gets to spend eternity with Jesus because of YOU - because you allowed God to work through you? It doesn’t get much better than that, friends!

Think of some ways you can work hard to share your gifts with others. This could be working in a garden and sharing your vegetables, earning money to give to someone in need, or inviting a friend to join in your neighborhood baseball game.

I challenge you to share something with someone today. Toys, extra snacks, etc. You decide.

Prayer: Lord, help me work hard to share Your Word by giving to others. You have given me so much. Help me share it in a way that leads other people to You. Amen.