II Corinthians 9: 6-9 “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.”
The Apostle Paul was writing to remind the church at Corinth of their promise to provide a financial gift to the church at Macedonia. He did not coerce, manipulate, or beg. He reminded them of their great love and asked to them to have it ready when they arrived. He wanted to see their abundant joy in the preparation of their financial gift because God loves a ‘cheerful’ giver! Cheerful can be described as a ‘hilarious’ giver! Have you ever been absolutely ‘giddy’ over giving? If not, you ought to try it sometime!
Many times, in my past, I tried to stay away from the issue of money with the church. I have been through the profession of an unbalanced ‘prosperity message’ that seemed to fleece the sheep. However, the fact remains that it must be dealt with in a very precise balanced manner. Your money is very important as you spend a great portion of your life obtaining it which, of course, equates to your life as our lives are made up of time! A great and priceless commodity!
When we give we are telling God that we trust Him in His promises! Our faith and trust in almighty God is shown in direct proportion of our giving or lack thereof. Our tithe and giving are cousins to the Biblical fast in that it causes the flesh to take a ‘back seat’ to the Spirit. Our flesh wants what it wants and does not care about heaven or hell because it will not accompany us! So, it must be dealt with and placed under subjection to the Spirit at every point. Our flesh sure loves our money! You may think you cannot afford to give but listen; you always seem to get what you really want! Want a cheerful heart in giving more than satisfying your flesh.
One that sows little is one that regards them seeking only to reap that which will help them; while one that sows a lot seeks to reach out beyond themselves in the harvest. The farmer that regards or pays attention to his seed will sow it sparingly and will end up with more seed in the barn then in a harvest! But, the farmer that does not regard his seed will have a barn full of harvest!
Don’t be afraid to give trust God in doing so. He will sustain you always. Psalm 37:25 “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” I too am no longer a young man and I have never been forsaken by God, He has always sustained me and I have learned that He is trustworthy. You will too.