PRAYER: Lord, help me to be a cheerful giver and to sow abundantly. Open my eyes to see the eternal fruit that comes from the Lord of the Harvest.
DAY 19 - READ 2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-1
A capital campaign…above and beyond giving…sacrificial giving. Someone will describe capital campaign giving this way: “I know what that means, it means give until it hurts!” Give until it hurts? Making a sacrifice actually means giving up something of value to you in order to give to something that means even more. It is giving something you care about to something you love even more. The lasting effect of such giving should not be hurt, but rather joy discovered by giving to the things that are most important to God. Give until it hurts? Try giving until you discover joy through cheerful giving. The joy of making a difference in a God-given calling. The joy of aligning your life with God’s grace and will. The joy of a life committed to Christ’s eternal purposes. The joy of doing your part along with a whole community of faithful people. The joy of helping to make miracles, large and small, happen. The joy of seeing people’s lives change because of seeds you planted and nurtured. The joy of glorifying God.
It’s interesting that 2 Corinthians 9:7 is preceded by the following verse, “The point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously.” Why do farmers and gardeners prepare the ground, plant their seed, pull weeds, and harvest? It’s because farmers and gardeners know the great joy that comes from a great harvest! Their joy is fulfilled as they sit at the table and enjoy the results of their work after a great harvest. Indeed, as Paul says to the church in Corinth, “you will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God” (2 Corinthians 9:11). The cheerful giver is cheerful because they recognize the great harvest that will come at the end of the age when Christ comes to rule and reign. We have the privilege of being a part of God’s eternal purposes.
Give until it hurts? No one is being asked to hurt in this campaign. If that is where you are heading, then you are going about this decision in the wrong spirit. Instead, sow generously and discover the great joy that comes from Christ’s abundant harvest as we invest in His kingdom. Cheerful giving will lead us to sow abundantly, which in turn, will yield an eternal harvest. Now that’s something to be cheerful about!
ACTION ITEM
Make a list of the reasons why you are GLAD to give—your own litany of rejoicing and thanksgiving.