Don’t Hold Back…His Grace Brings Provision

2 Corinthians 9:6-11 (King James Version)

6But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
7Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
8And 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:
9(As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.
10Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
11Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

2 Corinthians 9:6-11 (The Message)

6-7Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.
8-11God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you're ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it,

He throws caution to the winds,
giving to the needy in reckless abandon.
His right-living, right-giving ways
never run out, never wear out.
This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.


Word in Action:

Give God your all – no reservations and no hesitations.

Usually, when people quote the scripture about God loving a cheerful giver, it is because they want to encourage people to give more tithes and offering. I submit to you that God desires more than just a percentage of your paycheck. He wants all of YOU.

So often, we are reluctant to give everything we have back to the One who gave it to us in the first place. Why? I believe it is because we are afraid that voids or gaps will be created in our lives. In some ways, this is true. Complete surrender to God sometimes will mandate separation from people, places, and things that we have become attached to. Complete surrender to God will sometimes require us to make difficult decisions that put us in uncomfortable situations. Complete surrender to God will likely cause us to stand alone for what is right. Complete surrender to God can be a painful process at first because it involves denying our “fleshly” or “natural” desires.

If you feel that God is leading you to surrender a new area of your life to Him, do it. Don’t hold back. Hand it over to Him cheerfully, even if you think that it will be emotionally hurtful. Trust that the power of His grace is able to make you have sufficiency in ALL things. This means, nothing lacking, nothing broken, nothing missing. As He told the Apostle Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness…” How did Paul respond? “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Sow everything that you have into God. Give Him your thoughts, hopes, strengths, weaknesses, fears, doubts, joys, and dreams. His ground is fertile. The more you give Him of you, the more He will give you of Him. When we sow ourselves into Him, we reap the fruit of His Spirit - love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. We are empowered by His grace.

Declaration of Faith:
“I give you my all – no reservations, no hesitations – knowing that your grace is sufficient for me!”

Song of Praise: