8 I am not saying this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love by comparison with the eagerness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, he became poor for your sakes, so that you by his poverty could become rich. 10 So here is my opinion on this matter: It is to your advantage, since you made a good start last year both in your giving and your desire to give, 11 to finish what you started, so that just as you wanted to do it eagerly, you can also complete it according to your means. 12 For if the eagerness is present, the gift itself is acceptable according to whatever one has, not according to what he does not have. 13 For I do not say this so there would be relief for others and suffering for you, but as a matter of equality. 14 At the present time, your abundance will meet their need, so that one day their abundance may also meet your need, and thus there may be equality, 15 as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Simon Chow

Whenever I come across passages in the Bible on giving and generosity, my natural inclination is to skim through it and not give it too much thought. After all, the more I dwell on it, the more likely I am to feel as though I need to change, and nobody wants to be told they need to be more generous. Aren’t I generous enough as it is? But here in 2 Corinthians 8, we see what true generosity looks like: It looks like Jesus. Jesus put aside his heavenly glory to become a lowly man and died for us so that we might become rich spiritually and share in his heavenly glory. So if our goal is to be more like Christ, part of this means being generous. We also know that in Christ we have been blessed with an eternal inheritance, and this knowledge should free us up to be more generous with our earthly riches, since we know that these riches are temporary and that there is something far better for us in eternity.

It is reassuring to know that Paul does not command us to give so much that we suffer and are hard pressed (v13). However, that doesn’t take away the challenge to share generously with those in need. That challenge definitely doesn’t come naturally to most of us.

Personally, I have found that generosity is something that grows slowly and with practice. Even though I still have a lot of room to grow in this area, I have found that the more I give and the further I stretch myself to do this, the more I grow not just in generosity, but also in contentment and a reliance on God, who is the giver of all we have. Pray for God to grow you in eager willingness to give, knowing that our eternity is secure.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Simon is a member of our Fairfield Evening congregation.