Scripture:
2 Corinthians 9:6-11 ESV
[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. [11] You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.
Observation:
It would be so easy to jump right into the application process of this SOAP. But without looking at the scripture, we are only spinning our wheels. Paul is teaching the Corinthians about a giving heart. Showing them that sometimes money or possessions can occupy a spot they are not intended to have. The visual image he uses is one that can be understood pretty easily. When a farmer was planting his crop. He had a lot of hard work to do. Plowing and preparing the ground. Making sure it was ready to receive the seed. It was all a very important process. The thing is if he had done all that hard work and only put a few small seeds in the ground, all the work that was done would not matter because you would only produce what you plant. When it was time to plant, you had to plant bountifully. Planting sparingly would only produce a small crop. Relating this farming technique to giving was a great idea. It allowed the Corinthians to see the importance of not holding back. Showing them you can not reap a crop you are unwilling to sow. So let’s talk a little bit about the sowing process. What does that look like. From my understanding, a sower would have a bag of seeds tied to their side that they would dip their hand in, grabbing as much seed as they could hold and then cast or throw that seed out and to the ground. They would repeat that process until the bag was empty. Then, I would trust that the seed that was sown would make more seed for the following year. So that they could repeat the process. A heart position when you give should be really similar. Giving with reservations shows that what is being given has a hold on your heart. Paul is teaching the Corinthians that the only thing that should hold their heart is GOD. Being mindful of that is very important. Reluctant giving brings small crops. He is telling them that they need to give with purpose. Setting their hearts to give without restrictions and what they set their hearts to they should do. Now, here is where it all pays off. GOD is able… do you hear me? Back to the sower for a minute. The sower trusts that GOD is going to bring the rain and then the sun. Over and over again, so the seed that was sown will bring a crop. HE is sufficient in all that HE does. Reluctant sowing brings restricted reaping. Paul is teaching this baby church to trust the LORD with all that they have. HE will increase it… holding on to it will only keep it from growing. A seed can’t grow that doesn’t get planted. GOD will bring the increase.
Application:
I think you can see where I am going with this. If your bag is full of seeds, it can never grow. You have to plant it. If I am going to be guilty of anything, I want it to be for trusting GOD too much. For reaching in my bag and casting seed everywhere. I want nothing but GOD to have a hold of my heart. Someone told me once you can’t outgive GOD. That triggered a thought in me… well, I’m going to try. Let me speak some truth… the more I give, the more HE supplies so that I can continue to give. Now let me say that it is impossible to please GOD without faith. Sowing the seed HE provides takes. Faith. Faith that the rain is coming and the sun will be there, the seed will grow, but if it stays in the bag, it can’t do anything. I don’t want to talk about how much I give or how often because that is not the important part of any of this. The question that could be asked is how your heart feels when you give. Are you questioning whether or not you should, or are you just trusting GOD with reckless abandon? I would like to say I am trusting HIM. I must say that sometimes I have to remind HIM of HIS word. Ok, GOD, you said if I trust you, you will provide. When a crop is planted, it takes time to see results. But if it’s never planted, it never grows. It just stays seeds in a bag. It’s the release that brings the increase. Let go of what has your heart. I know most of us are thinking what I have been talking about is money, and honestly, yes, that seems to hold a lot of hearts. But I’m talking about everything. Nothing on earth should have your heart. Be cheerful about giving everything to GOD. it’s all HIS anyway you do not see how by giving things away it will increase but HE does. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding acknowledge HIM in all your ways, and HE will make your path straight.
Prayer:
Father, we know that you are not after our wallet. You want our hearts, and if our wallet holds our hearts, it’s out of position. We want nothing to hold our hearts but you. Your word says that if we sow bountifully we will reap bountifully, and we know that you do not lie. So our hands are open. We trust that our release will bring your increase. We want our hearts to be right with you. We don’t want to release for the increase. We want to release it because we trust you, and it’s the right thing to do. You are our GOD, the LORD of heaven and earth. You will always provide for those who love you. We want you to hold our hearts and nothing else. Trusting you with everything. If we are guilty of anything, let it be trusting you too much. Peter trusted you and walked on the water. Even though it was short-lived, it happened. He got out of the boat. We are getting out of the boat ourselves. Help us stay focused on you so that we don’t get overwhelmed by the storm. Keep our eyes fixed and faithful. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus I pray amen.