Monday Thought -- March 16, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-8)

Can you imagine a farmer carefully measuring out a seed in each spot in the field that he wanted a plant? Of course not! A farmer sows more seed than he needs to because he knows that some of the seed will not germinate and grow. Over-sowing results in the crop that the farmer desires. If he sowed sparingly, he would not have as large a crop as he desired.

That is a universal principle of life: sow sparingly and you will reap sparingly -- sow generously and you will reap generously.

Here, Paul uses that principle to talk about giving. When we give generously, our generosity will be returned to us. When we carefully measure out what we will give, being sure not to give more than is required of us, then we will receive that kind of careful measuring in return.

God wants His children to be generous. God provides for us so that we can be generous. That’s His promise. He is looking for channels through which He can pour His blessings to others. If we demonstrate that we will be a faithful channel, He will provide what we need to bless others.

And not just generous, but generous with a good attitude. Reluctant givers never please God. Cheerful givers are what He is looking for. In fact, the word “cheerful” is the Greek word from which our word “hilarious” is derived. God wants hilarious givers.

His, by Grace,

Steve