Verse 6 is always a very convicting verse to me, Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. The Corinthian church was assured by Paul that God would meet all their needs. In the same way, my lack of faith is the only limiting factor to God’s provision. If I allow fear to keep me from giving freely, then I shouldn’t be surprised when I receive a limited amount of blessings. We should give generously (time, energy, money, etc.) if we are to receive generously.
2012 Day 198 – 2 Corinthians 9
16 Monday Jul 2012
Posted in Daily Reading
Daily Devotion 
To go along with that, the way we give is just as important as how much we give. To give out of obligation or “begrudgingly” spoils the blessing both for the one that is being given to, as well as yourself.
This section (verses 6-15) in my Bible is titled “Generosity Encouraged.” I think it’s an interesting choice of wording to use “encouraged.” It doesn’t say “Generosity Mandatory,” but it makes it very clear that what you receive is directly linked to what you give.
Also, “God loves a cheerful giver,” so just like Brian said, you shouldn’t give begrudgingly. If you feel as though giving is “mandatory,” you’ll reap what you sow.
Verse 7 struck me hard and I always glanced over it until now. Many times I have given based on pressure or a situation that my heart was not ready. It’s says not to give under compulsion. I’m curious about this but does it mean a situation where someone approaches you for money and you give without thought?
This definitely made me think about where my heart needs to be in every situation that I give.
Thick stuff.
Good question. Compulsion implies you doing something you’d rather not do but you do anyway either because an outside force makes you, like government, or an inside force such as guilt. If you give to someone without thought, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s all about motives. If you give because you feel you “should” or because you would feel guilty, that’s something to think about. But if you without thought because you were moved to do so, that’s not compulsary.
These are REALLY good points. I totally agree and Bjon, I think that’s one of the main issues that plagues people these days because you want to help and give but you also want to do it with the right heart but also that feeling of guilt does overcome you when you say NO, taking your example of a person approaching you for money. One time I was walking in New York, and this lady came up to me on the street with her daughter (supposedly) and asked for a couple of dollars to which I appologised, I didn’t have any small change as all I had with me was a $20 bill and went on my way thinking to myself that she was looking for a quick “fix”. Well about 5 minutes later and praying about it, I had this overwhelming feeling that I needed to give that lady the $20. I searched several blocks looking for this woman with her daughter but I never found her and it’s stuck with me ever since but my point is, even though I never found her how different would that situation had been had I just given her the money right there under compulsion. High insight obviously proved that it would have been the right thing to do but I don’t regret it because I needed that confirmation first.