2022_09_26 Insight Post- Kim Feld

  -   September 26, 2022

This week’s reading- 2 Corinthians 9-10

Our God is so generous and wants us to imitate Him in this way. He loves to give good things to us. James 1:17 says this about God’s generosity:

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17, NIV)

Think about this for a moment. Every good thing in your life is given as a gift from God. Paul says that God provides the seed to the one who plants it and bread for us to eat. He also says that God enriches us to be generous toward others. Look at this verse:

¹¹ “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:11, NIV).

In chapter 9, Paul continues the thought from chapter 8 about giving to others who are in need. God blesses us when we are generous with others. Paul even says, “generous on every occasion.” That’s a tall order. But our generosity can result in the recipient being thankful to God. We get to partner with God through acts of kindness and generosity. Often, this kind of generosity results in us being blessed right along with the one we are trying to help.

What does generosity look like in your life today? It doesn’t have to be financial generosity; it could involve giving up your time or doing something unexpected for someone else. What if you took it a step further and anonymously performed an act of generosity? The beauty of an anonymous gift is that even though you are unknown to the receiver, God knows.

Additionally, Paul says that generosity is proof of obedience to Christ. Look at these verses:

¹³ “As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. ¹⁴ And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you.” (2 Corinthians 9:13-14, NLT)

God desires us to give, not because we have to, but because we want to. Therefore, we give to others out of gratitude for all He has given us.