Sowing and reaping - Blessing and blessed

2 Corinthians 9 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

God Gives Most

For it is superfluous for me to write to you about this ministry to the saints; ² for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the Macedonians, namely, that Achaia has been prepared since last year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them. ³ But I have sent the brethren, in order that our boasting about you may not be made empty in this case, so that, as I was saying, you may be prepared; ⁴ otherwise if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to speak of you—will be put to shame by this confidence. ⁵ So I thought it necessary to urge the brethren that they would go on ahead to you and arrange beforehand your previously promised bountiful gift, so that the same would be ready as a bountiful gift and not affected by covetousness.

⁶ Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷ Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; ⁹ as it is written,

“He scattered abroad, he gave to the poor, His righteousness endures forever.”

¹⁰ Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; ¹¹ you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God. ¹² For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. ¹³ Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, ¹⁴ while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

In today’s text it says:  Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.     This is about more than just how much you give to the church or to other places and causes. While it is true that we cannot out give God, and so when we give our tithes and offerings God will bless us. In Malachi 3:10 God says:  Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.   God doesn’t need what we give. He wants us to benefit from the principle of reaping and sowing. Notice what the text says also though: Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.    It is also more than about the amount that we give. It is also about our heart and our attitude in giving. If we give based on a mathematical formula, rather than from a heart of thanksgiving we may still reap as we sow, but that might mean that even what we receive will be purely mathematical as well. If we give gladly, cheerfully,  God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.    We also receive grace and sufficiency in everything for every good deed.     Ephesians 1:3 says:  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.   As we give cheerfully of more than just our finances, but also of ourselves, from all that we have been given spiritually, we are given and blessed with even more. As we sow in grace, we also reap and receive grace. In Matthew 25:23 Jesus says:  ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 

The text says:  He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.    The harvest of our righteousness is also about more than what we give financially. Here what we sow is more like the parables Jesus tells about the seed and the sower in Matthew 13. The most valuable and precious seed we are to sow is not money, but rather it is God’s word and the Gospel of the kingdom that we are to sow. In Mark 16:15 Jesus says:  “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. “  In Acts 1:8 He says:  “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”    We should not worry that we do not have enough of the seed of the word of God in us to be effective witnesses for Christ. We should give of what we have. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing. The Holy Spirit Himself will give us the words to speak and remind us of all that Jesus said. God is the one who supplies seed and bread and He will multiply bring about the increase of the harvest of righteousness, in and through us.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.  In all that I have from You, both financially and spiritually, may I cheerfully give and bountifully sow that Your kingdom and Your harvest would increase; that in the end I would hear You say: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’   Amen.