Generosity Devo - 2 Cor 8: 1-15

August 9th, 2020

Devotional

“Generosity” - 2 Cor 8:1-15

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Monday: “Generous” - 2 Cor 8: 1-15

  The Apostle Paul told the church in Corinth that they will be “enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion.” There are times of year that people naturally count their blessings and as a result are generous such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. But now, in the season outside of these holidays, we sometimes are not as intentional in our generosity. 

A few months ago, well before the holidays, the ministerium (a group of local pastors representing congregations in the area) met with four wonderful groups in our area doing good mission work. Places like Interfaith Human Services and Community Action. When asked what the biggest need for us to take back to our congregations was, one of the service agencies said we need to remember that people are in need all year round. Her point was clear - while it is wonderful to be generous around the holidays, people need to be served the rest of the year as well. In my mind questions started to form as to to how we can cultivate a spirit of generosity amongst us. 

What would it look like to cultivate a spirit of generosity?

Prayer: God, we confess that at times we are not very generous with our treasures, our time, our resources. We let our fears of the future get in the way. Forgive us, O Lord. Remove from us anything that would prevent us from following you and the leading of your Spirit in showing your generous love in the world. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Grace of God” - 2 Cor 8: 1-4

  I believe that one of the ways we honor God is to give of our resources. When we give, we live into the great commandment to love God with all we are and all we have and love our neighbor as ourselves in a tangible way. We practice being generous because it reflect the very nature of God, who was generous to us in every way - rich in mercy and making a way even to the cross for us to be richly blessed with the gift of salvation. 

  Think about some of the stories in scripture of how generous God has been to us. Abram, before he became Abraham, was able to rescue his nephew Lot from not one, not two, but four area kings who had banded together to plunder Sodom and Gomorrah, where Lot was living. He was able to recover all of the goods that had been plundered as well as Lot and his family. King Melchizedek was so grateful for what Abram had done that he gave him a tenth of all that was retrieved. But Abram would not accept any of the riches, because he had sworn that he would not take it so that the King would be able to say that he made Abram rich instead of God.

 God gave Abram strength and courage to retrieve Lot. God gave the people of Israel the gift of the Sabbath, a complete day of rest and worship, after they were freed from slavery in Egypt. God made the earth and everything upon it for people to be stewards of. God gave the words of the priests and the prophets when the people of Israel strayed and God gave us the gift of the cross when we continued to go our own way. I have one lady who every time I ask her what she is joyful for she has a sizable list, starting with getting out of bed today. She truly sees and understands that everything we have been given is a good gift from God - a sign of God’s generosity towards us. 

How has God been generous to you?

Prayer: God, help us to see the many ways you have been generous, gracious, and faithful to us, O Lord. Free us to go forth and proclaim this as part of our testimonies throughout the week, we pray! Amen. 

Wednesday: “Not Merely as Expected” - 2 Cor 8: 5-7

The generosity of the church is counter cultural. It stands up against the idea that happiness is to be found in accumulation and instead proclaims that sacrificial giving changes hearts and changes lives - which can be a source of true joy. It is not so much about what you have as what you do with what you have in order to bless others. 

In a study between resources and happiness, it was found that people, no matter what their income said that they would need 20 percent more in order to be happy. So for the person making 25,000$ a year they said they needed 5,000$ more to be happy. And the person making $50,000 a year said they needed $10,000 more to be happy and so on and so forth. We have ether ability to tell people that money is not the root of happiness, and instead we called to not ask how much more we need but rather, how much more we are called to give. Its a spiritual issue folks. 

We are told that the early disciples “sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” Why did they do that? Well first, they believed that Jesus was coming back soon. Very soon. As in any day now - so they didn’t need a savings plan. Second, they believed that being generous could change lives. Do we still believe that today? Do we still uplift the power of generosity?

How can being generous change lives?

Prayer: Almighty God, help us to recognize that all that we possess we are merely stewards of. For all that we have, O Lord, you have truly given to us. Use what we have to meet the needs of others and transform lives and the world, we pray. Amen. 

Thursday: “Genuine” - 2 Cor 8: 8-11

The truth is we give because we believe that our gifts, together, can make a difference and proclaim Christ’s name in a mighty way. In the gospel of Luke we find Jesus and his disciples in the temple. They notice a poor widow putting in a few small coins. He taught his disciples that she gave a true gift, because she literally gave her all. God isn’t asking us to give everything we have in order to be generous, but God does ask us to be genuine is our giving.

In Luke, the widow giving her last coins. In 2 Corinthians, the Macedonians gave above and beyond. In both passages, those giving didn’t believe that what they offered could do much, but coupled with the gifts of others giving their all, they truly could change the world.

What does it mean to be genuine in our giving?

Prayer: God of Grace and God of Glory, teach us anew what it means to be genuine in what we give. Let us give with an open heart and the only expectation that you will take what we offer and use it for your Kingdom. Amen.

Friday: “The One who Had” - 2 Cor 8: 12-15

  Generosity can also make us uncomfortable at times. We worry that if we give out of the riches God has blessed us with that we will not have enough. Not enough to put into savings or retirement. Not enough for the things we want an d need. We worry about the present moment and the future. We worry that people aren’t worthy enough to be recipients of our generosity. Worried that people will mis-use our hard earned resources so we become hesitant in our giving. 

  We don't mean to be hesitant in our generosity - it just happens from time to time. John Wesley was concerned that the people called Methodists could become so frugal in their saving that it would distract them from being able to give in the present. Certainly there is nothing wrong with saving, but Wesley did not want people to be able to look back and have regrets that they were not living faithfully in the present.  

As the church, we are to practice giving that exceeds all expectations. When we give we and give extravagantly we given blessed opportunities to share with others the love of Jesus Christ, so that we have no regrets. To tell others that we give because God has already given us the greatest gift imaginable. To share about the power of God.

What are different ways beyond money that we can be generous?

Prayer: God, touch our hearts and speak to us about ways we make your name and generosity known in the world. Use us, we pray. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic to prepare for worship: “The Lord’s Prayer” - Luke 11: 2-4