"But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." II Cor. 8:9
Here is an expression of the biblical principle of "sowing and reaping," or "the law of the harvest." In this instance it is applied to Christian giving. There is a direct relationship between sowing and reaping, and a necessary connection between the two. He who sows nothing will reap nothing. He who sows generously will reap largely, though not necessarily in kind. When we went to pastor a country church in Vermont, we arrived in late spring and found a substantial garden, behind the parsonage, plowed and ready for planting. I had never planted a garden before. One day I elected to plant peas, dug a trench for them, and was putting the seed in the ground one by one about two inches apart. And old timer was watching as i worked, and when I saw a strange look on his face i asked, "Am I doing it wrong?" "Nope, he replied," but I never saw anybody do it that way before!" I soon learned that a good harvest of peas required that they be sown lavishly, not sparingly. And that is true of most seed-grown crops.
In the Old Testament, under the law, giving was mandated as "tithes and offerings," with the stipulation that the tithe belonged to the Lord's: "And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD's: it is holy unto the LORD [Lev. 27:30]." The Old Testament believer had not begun to give to the Lord until he had surpassed the tithe, or tenth. In the New Testament reference to tithing occurs only twice in the gospels, and that in a way critical of the scribes and Pharisees, who tithed religiously, but failed in other graces; and there is no reference at all to tithing in the New Testament epistles. New Testament giving functions on a different principle; it is to be motivated not out of duty, but out of devotion to the Lord.
Giving, under grace, is first to be voluntary. "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, nor of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver [II Cor. 9:7, italics mine]." God does not make the decision for us, how much we should give, but allows us to make the decision for ourselves. Giving, like living, is an affair of the heart, and if the heart is not in it, God does not want the gift!
Second, giving under grace is to be proportionate. "For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not [II Cor. 8:12 again, italics mine., See also I Cor 16:2b]." In the church there are those under certain circumstances who can scarcely afford to give a tenth of their meager income to the church, and if they are to do so, must, indeed, give by faith and out of love, as the widow gave her two mites (See Mark 12:41-44). There others who, if they but tithe their income are stingy, given the abundance with which God has blessed them. They give with a miserly hand for want of a willing mind.
There is a third factor implied in New Testament giving; it should be systematic. The apostle's instruction to the Corinthians on an earlier occasion was, "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him… [I Cor. 16:2]" He is recommending diligence and regularity in the matter of giving.
Having said all of that, we return to our text and note that whether our giving be generous or miserly, sacrificial or nominal, we are still subject to the law of the harvest. The Christian should recognize that God is the fountain head of all our resources, the wellspring of every blessing. It is God, and God alone, Who "is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work [v.8]." It is God Who "ministers seed to the sower [and] bread for your food [v.9]," and of Whom it is promised, "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus [Phil 4:19]." As New Testament believers we should recognize that everything belongs to God. Our question should not be, "How much of mine must I give God," but, "How much of His have I a right to keep for myself?!" Grace always rises higher than law!
"The liberal (generous) soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself." Proverbs 11:25
Yours for HIS glory,
"Pastor" Frasier
Here is an expression of the biblical principle of "sowing and reaping," or "the law of the harvest." In this instance it is applied to Christian giving. There is a direct relationship between sowing and reaping, and a necessary connection between the two. He who sows nothing will reap nothing. He who sows generously will reap largely, though not necessarily in kind. When we went to pastor a country church in Vermont, we arrived in late spring and found a substantial garden, behind the parsonage, plowed and ready for planting. I had never planted a garden before. One day I elected to plant peas, dug a trench for them, and was putting the seed in the ground one by one about two inches apart. And old timer was watching as i worked, and when I saw a strange look on his face i asked, "Am I doing it wrong?" "Nope, he replied," but I never saw anybody do it that way before!" I soon learned that a good harvest of peas required that they be sown lavishly, not sparingly. And that is true of most seed-grown crops.
In the Old Testament, under the law, giving was mandated as "tithes and offerings," with the stipulation that the tithe belonged to the Lord's: "And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD's: it is holy unto the LORD [Lev. 27:30]." The Old Testament believer had not begun to give to the Lord until he had surpassed the tithe, or tenth. In the New Testament reference to tithing occurs only twice in the gospels, and that in a way critical of the scribes and Pharisees, who tithed religiously, but failed in other graces; and there is no reference at all to tithing in the New Testament epistles. New Testament giving functions on a different principle; it is to be motivated not out of duty, but out of devotion to the Lord.
Giving, under grace, is first to be voluntary. "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, nor of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver [II Cor. 9:7, italics mine]." God does not make the decision for us, how much we should give, but allows us to make the decision for ourselves. Giving, like living, is an affair of the heart, and if the heart is not in it, God does not want the gift!
Second, giving under grace is to be proportionate. "For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not [II Cor. 8:12 again, italics mine., See also I Cor 16:2b]." In the church there are those under certain circumstances who can scarcely afford to give a tenth of their meager income to the church, and if they are to do so, must, indeed, give by faith and out of love, as the widow gave her two mites (See Mark 12:41-44). There others who, if they but tithe their income are stingy, given the abundance with which God has blessed them. They give with a miserly hand for want of a willing mind.
There is a third factor implied in New Testament giving; it should be systematic. The apostle's instruction to the Corinthians on an earlier occasion was, "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him… [I Cor. 16:2]" He is recommending diligence and regularity in the matter of giving.
Having said all of that, we return to our text and note that whether our giving be generous or miserly, sacrificial or nominal, we are still subject to the law of the harvest. The Christian should recognize that God is the fountain head of all our resources, the wellspring of every blessing. It is God, and God alone, Who "is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work [v.8]." It is God Who "ministers seed to the sower [and] bread for your food [v.9]," and of Whom it is promised, "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus [Phil 4:19]." As New Testament believers we should recognize that everything belongs to God. Our question should not be, "How much of mine must I give God," but, "How much of His have I a right to keep for myself?!" Grace always rises higher than law!
"The liberal (generous) soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself." Proverbs 11:25
Yours for HIS glory,
"Pastor" Frasier
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