0608 GIVING AND RECEIVING

GIVING AND RECEIVING GIFTS

One of the most difficult parts of any non-profit organization is the matter of fundraising. Paul has spent most of two chapters in this letter talking about giving, pledging and fulfilling, as well as generosity, needs and accountability. He talks from both a theological and practical perspective, and several of the verses here are quite familiar to those who have been in the church for a while. Let’s talk about some of those in chapter 9.

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” 

Some years ago, I heard these three principles of sowing and reaping, and it was very helpful to learn. You always reap WHAT you sow, HOW MUCH you sow, and AFTER you sow. It’s true in farming, and it’s true in life. You can’t sow beans and expect to reap grain. What you want to reap in the future is what you must sow today. Likewise, if you want a big harvest, you can’t get there by only sowing a small amount. And then, know that the harvest always comes after the planting is long past. Here Paul is reminding us of the second of those three principles. I trust that he is not trying to induce guilt in order to glean a large gift, but he is saying truth. And I know that someday I will need to be on the receiving end of someone’s generosity, so I am paying it forward, you might say.

A year ago, our home was broken into, by the same people, three days in a row. They took over $11,000 worth of electronics, games and tools. And because it was three police reports, our insurance company would consider each incident to be a separate claim, so we had a $3000 deductible for each of the break-ins, and the company would then drop us for having three claims in such a short period of time. As discouraging as that was, when some friends heard about our situation, they got together a fundraiser and raised over $12,000 in just a couple of weeks! We heard encouragements from many people, saying that we had invested in them in the past, and so they were glad to help us in our time of need. It was a happy reminder to us to keep focusing on giving to others, and don’t be afraid of being abandoned in your own time of need. It doesn’t always work out that way, but we sure saw the joy of reaping what had been sown in the past.

Paul goes on to say,

“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

More principles of giving here. Don’t give what someone is dragging out of you, while you inwardly are reluctant or feel compelled to give. Give what you decided in your heart to give. In your heart, not to their face. This is a really hard thing for me to discern sometimes, because I have a hard time saying no to someone when they are right in front of me. But that’s a bad reason to give. An important mark of spiritual maturity is knowing when it is the Spirit calling you to do something, over against wanting to be a people pleaser. Paul calls it “deciding in your heart.” 

Then comes the well-known adage, “God loves a cheerful giver!” As compared to a reluctant giver, or one who gives under compulsion. Jesus said that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Do you know where He said that? Acts 20:35. Wait, you say. Jesus ascended into heaven back in chapter 1. How did he say that in chapter 20? Paul quoted Jesus, saying that Jesus had taught this truth. But in the gospels themselves, we do not find those words. Paul had heard some of Jesus’ teachings, even when Paul was still the Pharisee named Saul who was not a follower. And it sounds like something Jesus would say, based on Matthew 5.

But Paul’s point is not who said this expression or the other one. His point is that God loves us when we are doing something generous from our heart.

 

A few verses later, Paul wraps up this chapter by saying,  

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

Indeed, let us give thanks to God. But in order to give thanks, we need to know what we’re being thankful for. In this case, Paul says it is “his indescribable gift.”

We can’t describe his gift, apparently. But we can note what we know of it. Have you heard about the three blind men who each approached an elephant. Each came to a conclusion about what the entire animal was like, based on the small part that he had examined. “This is a snake!” “It’s a tree trunk!” “It is leather!” In the same way, we begin to explore the indescribable gift He has given, and all we can do is piece together the little glimpses we see.

What IS His gift? A baby boy. Born to a virgin named Mary. Who grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. Who lived a sinless life. Who taught us all the ways of the Lord. Who showed grace to the world. Who was unfairly graded as worthy of death. Whose crucifixion was, in fact, an atoning sacrifice on behalf of our own sins. Who brought us into right relationship with God. Who went before us to heaven, where he sits at God’s mighty right hand. Who is coming to judge the living and the dead. Who showed us how high and deep, and wide and broad is the love of God. God’s gift was spiritual. Eternal. It equips us. It fills us with joy. It guides us in our time of need and comforts us in our time of loss. What’s more, God distributed his gifts to all around the world, both past and present, that we might find pleasure and power and peace with God. And we are the primary recipients of this indescribable gift. All we have to do is receive it, just as we followed His lead in our own giving.

Let us thank him for all this, and far, far more. It is, truly, indescribable. Amen.