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THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
purposed in his heart: not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheer ful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound unto you; that ye, having always all sufficiency in every thing, may abound unto every good work.” “He that giveth to the poor lendeth to the Lord,” and the Lord always pays his debts, with good inter est, too. The way to have much is to give more; the way to have little is to give less. If we sow sparingly, we reap sparingly; if we sow bountifully, we reap accordingly (compare Hag. 1: 7-12; 2:16-19; Mai. 3:7-12). Cheerfulness is to characterize our giving. Some men part with their money who do not give it. A glad smile, not a sad groan, should accom pany every gift. Our giving should not cause us grief. “If there be with thee a poor man, one of thy brethren . . . thou shalt not harden thy heart nor shut thy hand from thy poor brotlier . . . thou shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need . . . and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him; because that for this thing Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all thy work, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto” (Deut. 15:7-11; cf. 1 John 3:17-19). Such cheerful, liberal, thoughtful giving is not only a secret of blessing here, but is also a laying up of treasure in heaven to abide for ever (cf. Matt. 6:19, 20); it is a “rights eousness” that has eternal rewards, that “abideth for ever” (2 Cor. 9:9). Not only is it true that God is able (9:8) to supply every need of such a giver (Phil. 4:19), but we are assured that He will actually do so (9:10): “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and the love which ye showed towards his name, in that ye ministered unto the saints and still do minister” (Heb. 6:10). God will mul tiply His grace towards the saints who exhibit such a grace'(9:8; cf. 8:1, 4, 6, 7, 9, where giving is called a “grace” ). Such seed scattered shall
tation in the gospel and well spoken of throughout the churches (8:16-18,; 23; cf. choice of deacons, Acts 6:3-6— “men of good report” ). So Paul rec ommends men who can be trusted,— men whose methods he himself com mends,-^for as great care must be exercised in the raising as in the dis bursements of the collection. Only such men as “glorify God” should handle the church’s finances (8:23). The godly jealousy of the apostle for the Corinthian Christians, lest they should fall below his praise of them to the saints in Macedonia, is strikingly set forth in these verses (9:1-5). He would have the whole financial matter settled and the collection all gathered by the time lie or his representatives, or perhaps both, arrived at Corinth. How greatly was the joy and shame of Paul associated with the career of his converts! They were part and parcel of himself: his glorying (9:2), his rejoicing (1 Thes. 2:19, 20), his joy and crown (Phil. 4:1), or his shame (2 Cor. 9:4). 3. The Nature and Blessing of True Giving (9:6-15). Not stinginess but liberality should characterize Christian giving. Not how little but how much may we give is the measure of true Christian beneficence. Bountifully, not covetously, are the Corinthians exhor ted to give. Not how little may we give to satisfy our consciences, but how much should we contribute considering the greatness of the need. Not in a spirit of “keeping back” (Acts. 5:1-5) as in the case of Ananias and Sapphira, but gladly, liberally, ever mindful of the needs of others and with the absence of that spirit which desires to have and to hold even more than is necessary for its own needs should the Christian exercise his philanthropy. Here is the law of spiritual giving: “He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Let each man do according as he hath
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