I admire those women who are always reaching out to other people and meeting whatever needs they may have, bringing hope wherever they go. I wish I could be more like them. Instead I find myself often focusing inward and asking, “What do I need?” I want to be more generous with all that I have to offer.
In Second Corinthians chapter 8, Paul is encouraging the Corinthians to be more like the Macedonians who, though poor, had given all that they could to support the church in Jerusalem. He is asking them to demonstrate the “grace of giving” (emphasis mine). He also refers them to the example of Christ giving His life for us so that we might be saved. Verse 9 says “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” There is no greater example than this. If I want to imitate Christ in my life, I need to be more generous. Christ gave His life for me, surely I can also strive to give what I have to others. Nothing I could ever offer up would ever be as great as the sacrifice that Christ made for me.
What do I have to offer? I think this is a question where many of us can get stuck. I don’t have a lot of financial resources, I am busy, and I am often very tired. Really, what do I have left to give? This is where hope comes in. Paul addresses this very problem. Second Corinthians 8:12 says “For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.” The NIV version of this verse substitutes the word “willingness” for the word “readiness.” This gives me hope. If I give what I have, it is enough. I don’t have to compare myself to other people or worry about what people may think of me. I simply need to willingly give what I have to help others. If I am willing to give, my gift is acceptable in God’s eyes.
If we were all generous like the Macedonians and gave what we could to meet people’s needs in the midst of their daily lives, imagine the hope we could bring to our communities. I know Paul was tackling a specific issue with the Corinthians in addressing the financial needs of the saints in Jerusalem, but his admonition to “share in this service” (2 Corinthians 8:4 NIV) is still vital today.
I have to consider why I sometimes find giving difficult. What stands in the way? There are several things that come to mind: tiredness, fear, frustration, business, and a host of other things. In particular, I want to talk about the problem of fear. Fear can manifest itself in a couple of different ways. There is the fear that what a person might have to offer is not good enough and there is also the fear that if I spend too much time/effort/money on others I may not have enough for my own family. I have felt both of these types of fear when it comes to giving generously and I know I am helpless to counteract it on my own. For me, that is where prayer has to come in. Matthew 7:7 says, “ Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” If I really want to demonstrate a generous nature, I need to take my desire to the Lord, asking for Him to open doors and to give me the generous spirit that sees what needs to be done and takes action. I need to ask Him to take away my fear of the unknown. I need to be willing.
Paul tells the Corinthians that he is not commanding them to be generous but only encouraging them to live in this manner. Verses 7 and 8 say, “But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also. I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine.” Being generous is a way for me to show love to others.
Generosity brings hope to both the giver and the receiver. As the giver we have the hope of knowing that God will supply our needs and give us the generous spirit necessary to meet the needs of others. The receiver is given hope because they know that someone is there to support them, whether that be financially, spiritually, or in a very physical manner such as an offer to provide supper so someone can have a night off from cooking. Generosity is a two-way street. We are all in need of the love shown to us through the generosity of others.
This was helpful for me tonight, Marcy! Thank you!
“Generosity brings hope to both the giver and the receiver. As the giver we have the hope of knowing that God will supply our needs and give us the generous spirit necessary to meet the needs of others.”
Thank you for this challenge, Marcy. I often struggle with the fear of not having enough for my family, so thank you for reminding me to hope in God during that!