Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
Today, we are celebrating Thanksgiving. Even though the holiday doesn’t actually
occur until Thursday, I believe that we should be giving the Lord our thanks
for all of His bounty every day of our life.
The early Church was very intentional in the support and love that they
showed to areas of the region that may have been going through a difficult time,
and it was always seen as an opportunity to show their gratitude to the Lord
for all that He did for them.
In Acts 4:32-35,
we read that the faithful of that day believed that “No one [should]
claim that any of their possessions were their own, but they shared everything
they had.” Even those who owned
property would, from time to time, sell a field and bring the proceeds to the
apostles for distribution to those who were in need.
The first century church took thanksgiving to a whole
new level! They never took pride in the
giving, they never accepted glory for their generosity – it was always about
giving honor to their Mighty and Worthy Lord Jesus who had already done so much
for them. How could they not take some
of the resources that had come to them from God, and give them to others who
weren’t nearly as fortunate as they had been!
And it wasn’t just the wealthy who were so
intentionally generous in their giving to others. In 2 Corinthians 8:1-4, we discover that even those who were living
in poverty would, at times, beg to be allowed to give whatever they were able
to scrape up, as little as it might be, to share with others to alleviate their even greater
needs. Tithing? The early Church never let that command constrain
them from giving as much as they could possibly give.
In our passage for today, Paul is rejoicing over the
current generosity that the church in Corinth was showing to those who were
struggling. It had been a while since
they had been so generous, but now, they were being encouraged to step up and
share as they had been taught to. For
Paul, it was important that every church should meet their responsibilities as
part of The Way of Jesus.
Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-9
As the apostle opens this lesson for the church, he
wants the people to understand that God can be just as generous as they are,
but that the blessings that they receive will hinge on the generosity that they
have also shown.
In Jesus’ Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), He tells of 3 servants who had been
entrusted with great responsibility over huge portions of the master’s
estate. 1 servant received 5 talents (a
talent being valued at many times more than the wages a man might expect to earn
during his entire lifetime!), another received 2 talents, and a third received
1 talent. Each servant was expected to
manage the finances that they had been given, and each had been entrusted with
an obligation that matched their abilities.
The first two servants did what they were expected to do, and when the
master returned, they were recognized for their faithful service.
But the third, the one who had kept his responsibility
safely hidden away, was a great disappointment to his master, and not only
received no reward, but he lost all that he had been given in the first
place. The only thing he received from
the effort was to be sent away from the master’s presence, with nothing
to his credit.
I expect that we all are familiar with this parable,
but this is exactly what Paul was teaching the Corinth church – that depending
on how you use the gifts and blessings and resources that the Lord brings into
your life, that is exactly how God will respond to your life.
If we are generous with the time, treasure and
talents that we have, the Lord will see to it that we will always have enough
to give as much as we are able to! And
as our kindness to others increases, our needs, not our desires but our needs,
will also be met.
Read 2 Corinthians 9:10-12
So what is this “harvest of righteousness” that Paul
speaks about? In the prophet Hosea, 10:12, we are told that if we sow in
righteousness, we will reap mercy, and when we choose to reach out to
previously unmet missional opportunities, we need to do so through the guidance
of our God, and not at our own volition.
The point is that the Lord is always prepared to
walk with us in those times that we are willing to take a step to celebrate Him
through some new way. But it can’t be
our way that is chosen – it has to be the way that God calls us to take. And how do we know? It is always best when prayer becomes our
means to hear His desires for our lives.
And the way that God leads us will be the way of righteous living.
But it’s important to understand that when Paul
writes that we will be made "rich in every way", he is not promising that we will
receive more than we need! As in all
scripture, we need to consider the message that the entire passage is offering. And in this case, the apostle is saying that
we will never be hampered or limited in the mission that God calls us to serve. And the appreciation that comes from it? It is all for the glory and honor of Almighty
God, and our reward will be in the blessing that Christ will give to those who
come to Him by faith.
Specifically, Paul is speaking directly to the
Corinthian church, as well as to us. He is encouraging both of us to be
faithful in the giving and not to let success in the effort to lead us into a
worldly attitude, to begin patting ourselves on the back for a job well done! It must never be seen as ours to
rejoice in!
Read 2 Corinthians 9:13-15
It’s
all about giving thanks to God for the victories, and recognizing that our part
in every endeavor is more a matter of being the hands and feet and voice that gives
a human presence to the Lord’s great works.
Our involvement will simply put a face on the mission, but always to the
honor and thanksgiving for the one who truly deserves it all - our Lord and our
Savior, Jesus Christ.
Have
you ever thought of yourself as an example to others of how to be a Christian
disciple? Others are watching us all the
time, you know! I’ve personally had
friends or pastoral colleagues or business associates comment on something that
I’ve done or said, with the implication being that it was different from what
they might have expected from others in a similar situation – and their
comments always seems to surprise me.
The difficult part of receiving a compliment is to keep from believing
that you really deserve it! The truth is
that we have little to do with touching another life – it will always be God
allowing us to witness His grace at work through us.
And
what should our reaction be? It’s in the
final verse for today – “Thanks be to God for His incredible gift.” As we gather around the table with family and
friends on Thursday this week, remember to give God thanks for all that He has
blessed your life with, all that he has revealed through your faithful and
obedient service, all that He has accomplished when you choose to follow His
grand and glorious way, and especially for all that He has done to prepare our
lives for service and witness to this lost and hurting world.
May
our lives be one continuous and joyful Thanksgiving to the One and Only
Almighty God.
