Tag: Devotion

2 Corinthians 9:14 And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you.

The kindness of the church in Corinth through their gift will be remembered in the prayers of the saints in Jerusalem. There is a kindred spirit of co-labouring in the gospel work and mutual care that flourishes as a result of the much-needed supply sent forth. In the prayer list of the church in Jerusalem will be the praise item and prayer for God’s strengthening upon the saints in Corinth.

The church in Corinth will be remembered for God’s exceeding grace, God’s surpassing enabling that binds them together in gospel ties sealing and confirming in the hearts of the saint in Jerusalem the gospel’s power in the lives of converts to serve sacrificially. What a blessed testimony!

2 Corinthians 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;

The Corinthian Church in their giving to the saints in Jerusalem has, in a sense, proven the work of Christ in the lives of Gentile converts. The Jewish Church in Jerusalem was sceptical over the conversions that took place in Corinth. But this kindness would be to them a great proof of the reality of the faith of the Corinthians so that they will glorify God. [MacDonald]

God is praised when Christian kindness and love is shown towards the brethren. It is the Spirit’s fruit in the believer’s life. The giving was described as a liberal distribution. There was substantial weight in the giving that will go a long way in alleviating the poverty experienced by the persecution church in Jerusalem.

2 Corinthians 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 to the saints in Jerusalem provided a much needful boost to the gospel work. The ogranising work, the coordination, was a concerted effort that will supply the want of the saints in Jerusalem. It was there that the gospel came forth.

This was the promise of our Lord before His ascension that the power of God will descend upon His disciples gathered who gathered later at the Upper Room.

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Acts 1:12-14 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the sonof Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brotherof James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

2 Corinthians 9:11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

This is the promise of God to His people who trust in Him and sought to walk with Him wholeheartedly. The psalmist says in Psalm 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. The people of God shall have no lack because they are supplied by the grace of the Almighty God. Therefore, we are bound to give thanks to God. Our God is so good to the people He covenanted to care for.

The Apostle Paul asked that His people will not forget Him having been enriched by Him in everything to all bountifulness. And to return thanks to Him through their giving is God’s way by which His people expressed their gratitude for God’s care to them.

2 Corinthians 9:10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)

The Apostle Paul cited the words of the Isaiah in Isaiah 55:10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: God is the subject of this verse. He is the Nourisher and Supplier of the rain and the snow from heaven to bring forth the harvest that gives the bread on our table for each meal.

Another verse alluded to is Hosea 10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

2 Corinthians 9:10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)

Elijah the Tishbite came to the town Zarephath in Zidon. The Lord instructed him to hide earlier in the brook Cherith after he defeated the prophets of Baal to escape the persecution of Jezebel the wicked wife of Abab, king of Israel. After the water in the brook dried up, he left for Zidon at the beckoning of the Lord.

The Lord said to Elijah in 1 Kings 17:9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

It is interesting that the widow was preparing the last meal to partake with her son and that’s all they had. This was the story…

2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

Giving is to be from the heart. The prompting of the heart, the giving according to the leading of the heart.

Indeed, as Jowett observed well, “Cheerful giving is born of love, and therefore it is a lover loving a lover and rejoicing in the communion. Giving is the language of loving; indeed, it has no other speech. “God so loved that He gave!” Love finds its very life in giving itself away. Its only pride in possession is the joy of surrender. If love has all things, it yet possesses nothing. ”

There is not a reluctance or unwillingness in the process of the giving. The giver should not be compelled or pressurized into giving. Rather, he makes a happy decision to give because it has been laid upon his heart. The Apostle Paul makes no commandment of necessity rather, giving should be voluntary and made on an individual basis.

2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

The bountiful sower finds himself receiving a bountiful harvest. The sower’s effort did not go to waste but was directly the reason for the fruitful produce that came after. The effort put into the sowing was tremendous. It was no small matter to be fully engaged in the time of sowing to ensure that the seeds are properly sown. The soil has to be prepared, the seed has to be sown on good ground.

The Apostle Paul observed such was the good work of the sower. Indeed, also observed in Proverbs 10:4 “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich”. And in Proverbs 13:4 “The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.”

2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

The Apostle Paul gives a simple principle of cause and effect. Like a farmer who sows his seeds to receive a good harvest, he has to sow liberally to receive a proportionally good harvest, notwithstanding, other circumstances. He urges his readers to not be weary in well-doing. The Christian is not the poorer for his liberal giving is the sense of his exhortation. In fact, the man who blesses others bountifully will also be blessed bountifully.

Christianity Is Give, Give, Give – A clergyman wrote a wealthy and influential businessman, requesting a subscription to a worthy charity. He promptly received a curt refusal which ended by saying, “As far as I can see, this Christian business is just one continuous give, give, give.” After a brief interval the clergyman answered, “I wish to thank you for the best definition of the Christian life that I have yet heard.” — New Century Leader¹