SOWING GENEROUSLY

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6 (NIV)

One Saturday last month, I stopped at a garden store and bought a dozen Marigold plants. Then, I came home and planted nine of the marigolds in three large pots, adding three mini gladiolus bulbs and a handful of Zinnia seeds to each pot. The pots are now on my front steps. In the past, I only put marigolds in the three pots – even when they fully bloomed, there was still a lot of empty dirt visible. By being more generous with the other seeds and bulbs, I am hopeful that the pots will be chock full of flowers come July. 

In the verse above, Paul was trying to emphasize to those belonging to the church in Corinth that they needed to give generously to meet the needs of the Christian churches in Jerusalem. He felt that generous gifts would matter for both the giving churches and those receiving the gifts.  The passage can also cover non-monetary gifts. Whether it is spreading the word of Christ’s resurrection, doing service for others in His name, or sharing the fruits of the Holy Spirit, it is important to sow generously in order for others to generously reap the fruits of our efforts. Half-hearted or grudging giving will result in a sparingly poor result.

Jesus gave his all – His life – for our salvation. He could have skipped the trip to Jerusalem and continued his ministry in Galilee, with a message heard by several thousand and the healing of hundreds. Over a couple of centuries, that message would probably have reached across the Holy Land. Instead, Jesus gave generously of his life and by 400 AD, there were 25-30 million Christians throughout the Roman Empire, about half of the total population.  

Prayer: Lord, create a generous spirit in each of us. Help us to give generously of our time, talents, and resources to bless others in Your name. Amen.

Carol Rice