So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:7–8 NKJV
In this letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul references a gift of money that the Corinthian believers planned to collect (2 Corinthians 9:1–5). He uses this as a chance to speak more broadly about the virtue of generosity—and how God’s generosity toward us should inspire us to give.
Generosity usually does not come naturally to us.
When we are children, the thought of sharing can prompt outbursts and temper tantrums. As adults, we might make excuses for why we can’t give money to our church or donate our time at a local volunteer day.
In contrast, God reveals himself to be infinitely generous. He gives life to all people, both good and evil (Matthew 5:45). He is king over all the earth and owns everything in it, yet he allows us to enjoy his creation (Psalm 50). And he gave his most precious gift when he made a way for us to become his children through Jesus Christ (1 John 3:1).
In 2 Corinthians 9, the apostle Paul details how we should approach giving as followers of God. We are not, in fact, giving away anything that is ours. All that we have has been given to us by God—our lives, our homes, our families, our income, our time.
Once we learn how to look at our lives with this perspective, we can see Paul’s reason for telling us to give eagerly and generously. Because God is our provider, we will always have enough to give to others. And because God is the inspiration for our generosity, we should always be looking for a new way to bless others!
