ABUNDANT LIVING - Part 4 Abundant living, requires abundant giving! Another way of saying this is described in 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. This verse strongly emphasizes that a person will reap in proportion to what he or she sows. If a person gives nothing, he will reap nothing. If he gives little, he will reap little. If he sows much, he will reap much. The proportion you give, is the proportion you will reap in return! Everyone knows that this is true in regard to seed that is sown. The idea is, that God will bestow rewards in proportion to what is given. Many who have ever been in the habit of giving generously can testify that they have lost nothing, but have reaped in proportion to their generosity. As a farmer, who desires an abundant or sizeable harvest, scatters his seed with a generous hand. He does not do it in a grudging manner, even though it falls to the ground. He scatters with the expectation that in due time it will spring up and reward his labors. In the same way, we too should give generously. This is a plain, no-nonsense message: no person can expect to reap, but in proportion to what he has sown. The cheerful giver opens his hand wide, and bountifully gives, knowing that at some point in time, his open hand will be filled with a bountiful harvest! In the original Greek, the word, sparingly, means stingy. It is interesting to see the various dictionary definitions of the word stingy. Two particular definitions are: (1) beggarly; and (2) tightfisted. Beggarly gives the impression that if you give like a beggar, you will live like a beggar! The word tightfisted is the opposite of wide open hands, as stated earlier. A farmer sows with a wide open hand, because it is impossible to sow seed if your seed is enclosed in a tight fist! Tightfisted means, unwilling to part or let go of money. The Greek definition for the word, bountifully implies a generous or charitable spirit in the giver. This expresses what spirit we should embrace when we give, and when we do, it is to our benefit! 2 Corinthians 9:8 says, And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. Do you think by giving generously you will be impoverished and reduced to want? The fact that this verse begins with, And God is able strongly suggests that He is more than able to furnish or supply us abundantly with what we have need of. Few people, if any, are ever reduced to poverty by generous giving. In fact, it would be difficult to find anyone who has been impoverished or made poor in this way. Words of wisdom from Proverbs 11:24 says, One person is generous and yet grows more wealthy, but another withholds more than he should and comes to poverty. God is able to make all grace abound toward you indicates that divine blessing comes to generous people. Keep in mind, that no one is made poor from being generous. The experience of Christians throughout the world, give proof that people are not made poor by generous giving. That you always having all sufficiency in all things, means that if you give generously, you can expect God to furnish you with the means, way or method, that will enable you to abound more and more. The word abound means, be abundant or plentiful; or exist in large quantities. Instead of the word abound the King James version of the Bible uses the word sufficiency. In the Greek language it means, a perfect condition of life in which no aid or support is needed; or sufficiency of the necessities of life. Those who give generously can expect God to abundantly qualify them for doing good in every way, and that He will furnish them with all that they need in life, so that they can do good for or help others. The person who gives, therefore, should have faith in God, expecting God to bless in return, based on their generous giving!
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 05:38:02 +0000
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