“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver”
(2 Corinthians 9:6-7 NKJV)

you reap what you sow

Paul was passionate about helping the needy saints in Jerusalem. Several of his epistles devote space designed to encourage Gentile churches to send benevolent assistance to needy churches in Jerusalem, composed mostly of Jews.

His earlier epistle to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 16) shows that churches of Galatia also were included in this collection for the saints (1 Cor. 16:1). He planned to go to Corinth and to journey with their messengers to Jerusalem (1 Cor. 16:3-4).

As Paul wrote Romans from Corinth, he was preparing to go to Jerusalem to carry this aid to the poor saints, Romans 15:25-26. He urges these Gentile churches to assist the saints in Jerusalem because the Jewish brethren had sent spiritual aid to these Gentiles (Rom. 15:27). Though there was no way the Gentile Christians could adequately thank or bless the Jewish churches who sent preachers to give them the gospel, they could show their gratitude by helping these needy saints in Jerusalem.

Paul praised the Macedonian churches (presumably Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea) for their willingness to contribute to needy saints, and this in spite of the poverty that prevailed in Macedonia (2 Corinthians 8:1-5). The Macedonian churches have demanded the privilege of giving, though in other circumstances they themselves would have been objects of charity.

The greatest example that motivates their giving is the grace of Jesus. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Jesus was not a “rich man” who hated the world. Most would agree that He had every right to reject them. The very people He came to save rejected and crucified Him. And yet, His entire life on earth was characterized by grace. He did not keep His treasures to Himself. He became poor for our sakes in order to make us rich. This divine example is certainly the most powerful motivation for our giving. He who gave the greatest gift now works through Paul to encourage His people to give generously to other saints in need.

Though it is impossible to fully exhaust the rich treasures in our memory verses, they may be briefly summarized as follows:

1. Remember this: God wants His people to be generous, not stingy. “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” — Luke 6:38. “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need” —- Ephesians 4:28. The test of a genuine conversion is how much we resemble our Lord. We never look more like Jesus than when we give generously.
2. One who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. The opposite is also true: he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. The farmer cannot save money by keeping his seed in the crib. He does not expect to receive a bumper crop by sowing a few seeds. Charity is not throwing away good seed; it is sowing good seed (an investment). “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).
3. Each must give as his heart directs. Heart giving focuses on attitude. No certain amount is specified (for example, a tithe). The amount that each one gives must be decided by the giver himself.
4. Heart giving is the opposite of reluctant giving (regret); it is free will; it is personal desire. It does us no good to give sorrowfully or under compulsion (the way some people view paying their taxes). Jesus does not twist our arms to force us to give. Heart giving motivated Barnabas to sell land in order to assist needy saints (Acts 4:36-37).
5. We must give cheerfully—we take pleasure in it. We prize the privilege. “Whoever has a bountiful [generous] eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor” —Prov.22:9. A woman who donated her kidney to her sick husband considered it much joy. Many have given their lives to save the poor and oppressed. David told Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing” — 2 Samuel 24:24.
6. The generous giver reaps bountifully. “”I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” — Acts 20:35.
7. The giver is blessed with abundance so that he can share. God blesses the rich, “that they may be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share…” (1 Timothy 6:18). Givers are joyful; misers are miserable. Givers are rewarded. “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink…” — Matthew 5:34-35. “He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, And He will pay back what he has given” — Proverbs 19:17. The old expression is still true: “What I kept, I lost; what I gave, I kept.”
8. There is nothing uglier than giving that is designed to draw attention to the giver. Pharisees were masters of wrong motives; they gave alms to be seen by men — Matthew 6:1-4. Jesus labels them hypocrites, warns His disciples against following their example, and reveals that they have received their reward — they can expect no more. They would have been better off keeping their money.
9. There is nothing more beautiful than giving that is based on pure, generous, and scriptural motives. As the Lord blesses us, let us live a beautiful life of blessing others. “You may give without loving, but you can’t love without giving.”

– Rick Duggin