Friday, February 19

Psalm 31:19
How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.

Begin with prayer – thanking God for his goodness and for being your refuge today.



2 Corinthians 9:7
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Some refer to this teaching as “the principle of the harvest” – meaning, of course, that a farmer can only reap that which he sows. If he sows corn he will reap corn. If he sows a few seeds, he will reap only a small crop. It makes perfect sense.

But what does it mean in the context of our generosity?
Is Paul saying that if I give more I will get more? If I give a certain amount of money to my church am I guaranteed to get more money in my next paycheck?
Not exactly.

While God certainly may pour out financial blessing as the result of your generosity – he will most certainly reward generous giving with the blessing of joy and the pleasure of knowing that your gift both helps others and enriches the harvest of the gospel. Furthermore, our generosity brings pleasure and joy to God himself – “for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Now the question is: How much is “generous?”
Notice that Paul shifts the standard from the Old Testament “tithe” (which was 1/10th of the harvest, produce or wealth returned to God as an act of worship and thanksgiving) to the heart - “each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give.”

Most scholars believe that Paul is actually raising the bar for Christian generosity here – that he is assuming the “tithe” and then going above and beyond to generosity!

For many of us raised in the consumer-driven culture of North America – this standard seems almost hopelessly unattainable! But notice where it all begins: “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give.”

This means that whatever your generosity has looked like in the past – whether you have given far beyond 10% of your wealth to the Lord in gratitude – or struggled to give anything at all – you can start today with a conversation of the heart.

Simply invite the Lord to meet with you over your finances. Ask him for his guidance in establishing priorities, habits and disciplines that will not only please him but create the freedom of heart that will allow you to express more and more generosity toward his kingdom and his work. If you invite him to do that – I promise you he will!

Malachi 3:10
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I do not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

Pastor Brian Coffey