2 Corinthians 9 Commentary
This letter feels like an internal communication between family members. Of course, it is. You feel like the items of discussion need not bother you. At the same time, these family matters are public issues for the church and the churches.
Verse 2 introduces another term: Help. You help others when you give. You will have helped when your giving helps. Amount is important. Timing is everything. Don’t let your offering arrive beyond the point of need. You don’t want the parachute to come out after you have landed!
This chapter challenges the thought that offering any amount at any time is fine. Anything close to zero. Any time close to infinite. The guide remains “help” and meeting the needs of others. Attach the same urgency to your giving as your own receiving. If you ever need anything like yesterday, never ‘give’ at a snail’s pace.
The expectation is that the saint overflows in all areas as generosity flows. It is generosity that provides the fuel for growth in other areas. You become a factory with generosity as your output and the blessings from God as the input. Don’t stop production. Don’t give God a reason to shut down the factory because there is no output!
Verse 8 offloads an important thought. The reason God gives abundance is for you to share with the needy. It would work like the Value Added Tax (VAT) system. God gives you 10 units but 2 units will be passed on to your needy brother. You don’t want to keep the 2 units. It becomes robbery!
Verse 10 places God at both ends of the production line. God supplies the seed (input); He also supplies the harvest.
Verse 11 is key. God will always make you rich enough to be generous at all times. Generous people will always be rich…which is why they always give! Ponder.
Verse 12 introduces another function of “giving”. It is a factory of praise! The giver praises God because his gifts cause the receivers to praise God. Praise isn’t cheap. Words are important but they shouldn’t be empty. Your generosity produces pure praise from the lips of the receivers. You want to go for it!
Yes, they will praise God; they will also pray for you – a better way to ask for someone’s intersession!
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