2 Corinthians 9:6-11
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. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
As it is written,
“He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
One of the quiet ministries of FBCG is something we call “Compassion in Action” – or “C.I.A.” for short. C.I.A. is the side of our compassion ministries that helps people from the surrounding community who are not formally connected to FBCG. Completely funded by the generosity of the FBCG congregation, C.I.A. offers over $50,000 of help each year – for everything from rent to medical care to counseling to gas and electric bills.
A few weeks ago the woman who oversees the C.I.A. ministry of FBCG, Erin Wise, shared a story with me. One of the ways FBCG helps those in need is through gift cards from Meijer (a large local store that sells everything from groceries to gas), and people from the FBCG congregation regularly donate Meijer cards, or money to purchase Meijer cards, to be given to families or individuals in need. A few weeks ago, Erin said she went to Meijer to purchase some of these cards when she ran into a person that the C.I.A. ministry has helped over the past year due to some severe health issues. But this day, that person was helping an elderly woman get some groceries. During their brief conversation, Erin learned the elderly woman and her husband were destitute and Erin felt God nudging her to give her some Meijer gift cards. When she did, she said the woman’s face lit up like she had just won the lottery.
But the story wasn’t over. When Erin returned to her office at FBCG she received an email from the person who was helping the older woman. It turns out that the gift cards had sparked a conversation about the goodness and grace of God; which led to an explanation of God’s love and forgiveness and an 89 year old woman had a chance to understand the gospel for perhaps the first time!
Do you see the ripple effect of generosity? You (the congregation of FBCG) give generously; your gifts become the C.I.A. ministry and Meijer gift cards; those cards become encouragement to a person struggling with illness; that person reaches out to help a poor elderly woman; and that becomes an opportunity to share the gospel! This is what the apostle Paul meant when he wrote:
You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
What can you give this week that God could use to create a ripple effect of generosity? Maybe you can write a check; maybe you can give a vehicle; maybe you can give away all the clothes in your closet you haven’t worn in two years; maybe it will be something far more creative and far more generous than any of these. The point is – we serve a generous God who calls us to generous living because he can use our generosity to produce ripple effects that can do more than we can ever imagine.
Pastor Brian Coffey
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. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
As it is written,
“He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
One of the quiet ministries of FBCG is something we call “Compassion in Action” – or “C.I.A.” for short. C.I.A. is the side of our compassion ministries that helps people from the surrounding community who are not formally connected to FBCG. Completely funded by the generosity of the FBCG congregation, C.I.A. offers over $50,000 of help each year – for everything from rent to medical care to counseling to gas and electric bills.
A few weeks ago the woman who oversees the C.I.A. ministry of FBCG, Erin Wise, shared a story with me. One of the ways FBCG helps those in need is through gift cards from Meijer (a large local store that sells everything from groceries to gas), and people from the FBCG congregation regularly donate Meijer cards, or money to purchase Meijer cards, to be given to families or individuals in need. A few weeks ago, Erin said she went to Meijer to purchase some of these cards when she ran into a person that the C.I.A. ministry has helped over the past year due to some severe health issues. But this day, that person was helping an elderly woman get some groceries. During their brief conversation, Erin learned the elderly woman and her husband were destitute and Erin felt God nudging her to give her some Meijer gift cards. When she did, she said the woman’s face lit up like she had just won the lottery.
But the story wasn’t over. When Erin returned to her office at FBCG she received an email from the person who was helping the older woman. It turns out that the gift cards had sparked a conversation about the goodness and grace of God; which led to an explanation of God’s love and forgiveness and an 89 year old woman had a chance to understand the gospel for perhaps the first time!
Do you see the ripple effect of generosity? You (the congregation of FBCG) give generously; your gifts become the C.I.A. ministry and Meijer gift cards; those cards become encouragement to a person struggling with illness; that person reaches out to help a poor elderly woman; and that becomes an opportunity to share the gospel! This is what the apostle Paul meant when he wrote:
You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
What can you give this week that God could use to create a ripple effect of generosity? Maybe you can write a check; maybe you can give a vehicle; maybe you can give away all the clothes in your closet you haven’t worn in two years; maybe it will be something far more creative and far more generous than any of these. The point is – we serve a generous God who calls us to generous living because he can use our generosity to produce ripple effects that can do more than we can ever imagine.
Pastor Brian Coffey
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1 comment:
That warmed my heart and gave me goose bumps! Thanks for sharing that story.
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