God gives me the best bit

2 Corinthians 8:10–15

¹⁰ Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. ¹¹ Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving.

Give in proportion to what you have. ¹² Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have.

¹³ Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. ¹⁴ Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal. ¹⁵ As the Scriptures say,

“Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over,
and those who gathered only a little had enough.”

I’m great at good intentions, but not so great at following through. Paul’s advice to me is to finish what I start, to bring my good intentions through to a good completion. But it’s no good if it’s out of a sense of obligation. It should be out of the same eagerness to be generous that it begins in.

Who can I think of who always brings his promises to completion? Who do I know who faithfully brings his good intentions to a good reality? Who has been so generous towards me that every good thing I have comes from him? Who is so generous he gave his life for me?

When I’m generous, I’m imitating Jesus, becoming more like him. But even better than that is when I do it in partnership with his generous Spirit. Then he gives me the most fun part to play.

At Christmas when I was quite young, I would dress up as Santa Claus and hand out the presents under the tree. A few of the presents were for me, but it would have ruined everything if I kept them all for myself. Most of the presents weren’t from me, but I had the fun of putting those gifts in the hands they were meant for.

As I recognize how incredibly generous God has already been to me in all sorts of ways, I begin to see that it’s a bit like those Christmases. Some of what God gives me is a gift for someone else. His extra gift to me is to be the one who puts his gifts in their hands. Doing generosity together with Jesus is so much fun.

Jesus, thank you for your incredible generosity to me, especially in letting me be part of you being generous to others. Please give me your eyes to see what you have given me as a gift for someone else, and your heart of generosity to pass it one with eagerness to see its blessing received.

Written by David Cornell