Thought On This Chapter
2COR 9:2 For I know the forwardness of your mind, for
which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and
your zeal hath provoked very many.
2COR 9:3 Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our
boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf; that, as I said, ye may be
ready:
2COR 9:4 Lest haply if they of Macedonia come with me,
and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed in this same
confident boasting.
2COR 9:5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the
brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your
bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter
of bounty, and not as of covetousness.
This church has many problems as you can tell by their
first letter, but in verse 2 we do see that they had zeal. Their zeal was
to give to the ministry.
Paul boasted of them to others and the zeal of this
church provoked many to do likewise. Now the time of the promised gift is
coming. And sadly to say Paul was worried that they might not keep their
promise. Paul did not want these believers to be ashamed when it came time
to collect. So Paul sent others ahead to remind them of their promise and
to help them get ready so they could fulfill their promise.
The lesson here is that is a shame for a Christian to
promise to give and then not do it. If you promise to give so much a week
to missions for the year, then we need to keep our promise. Others were
counting on what the church at Corinth had promised to give. And it is the
same with us. Missionaries count on us fulfilling our promise to them and
it is a shame to us when we let them down.
Thought On This Chapter
2COR 9:11 Being enriched in every thing to all
bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.
The context here is still giving. And here we see
some of the results of giving. It causes thanksgiving to God. When
you give you are used as a tool to bring about others giving thanks to God.
Vs 11 says, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.
2COR 9:12 For the administration of this service not
only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many
thanksgivings unto God;
The giving does take care of a real physical need, it
supplieth the want of the saints, and that is a good and needed thing. But
the giving also does more. It brings about abundant thanksgivings unto God
by many people.
I have taken food to some poor brothers and sisters in
Christ. They were in great need and very thankful. It is a joy to
see their faces and to hear them praise God for it. They will tell their
family and friends and many more will give thanks to God. Right giving
brings about abundant thanksgivings unto God.
2COR 9:13 Whiles by the experiment of this ministration
they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and
for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men;
2COR 9:14 And by their prayer for you, which long after
you for the exceeding grace of God in you.
Those you give to will often end up praying for you.
They can have a real love for you because of the exceeding grace of God that is
in you. Giving can be a wonderful thing, and you can be blessed by it in
ways you cannot imagine. It brings joy to others and to you. It
glorifies our Lord. And it often brings returned acts of kindness, and as
we see in verse 14 giving will increase the number of people who pray for you.
When is the last time you gave to someone's need?
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