Why is it important to give? Our giving is an investment that reflects our belief in the generosity of God in the gospel.

2 Corinthians 9:6 – 10…

6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” 10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

In this passage the apostle Paul is preparing to come to the church at Corinth and collect a financial offering that they had promised to give. Paul is attempting to motivate the Corinthians to follow through on their promise to give. As we examine these verses we learn that God calls us to be people who understand the importance of giving.

  1. Our giving is an investment. Paul explains that our giving is important because when you give you are like a farmer who is sowing seed into his field. When you sow you will reap a harvest. Paul is not teaching that we should give to get. But he is reminding us that when we give we will receive a return on our investment. I can think of no better place to invest my treasure than in the kingdom of God.
  2. Our giving is a reflection of our Father in Heaven. Paul says that it’s important to give because it’s a matter of personal commitment. Every one of us must decide what God calls us to give in light of the generosity of the cross. Once we’ve made this decision in light of the cross of Christ we can give cheerfully instead of compulsively or reluctantly.
  3. Our giving is a reflection of what we believe about God. God is all in all. God has extended all of his grace to us. God is all-sufficient for our every need. God is able to fix all things. God is at work at all times. It is this picture of God as our all in all that enables Paul to say that we can “abound in every good work”.

We can excel in every good work, because God has excelled at every good work. God has “distributed freely” or given generously to us without writing us a bill. The righteousness that God extends to each of us lasts forever. His goodness and his righteousness will never end. It is God who supplies the seeds of the gospel. It is God who supplies the food of His Word. It is God who multiplies our investment in the gospel so that the harvest of Godliness will continue to grow in and through us. So our giving is an investment that reflects our belief in the generosity of God in the gospel.