How to Display Gratitude with Graceful Giving
Each year, DDCommunity participates in a day of displaying gratitude with graceful giving. God abundantly blesses His children with His grace. And when we express our gratitude through graceful giving, everyone benefits from the overflow of God’s grace. #GivingTuesday is our primary fundraiser of the year to support the various ministry aspects of DDCommunity. #GivingTuesday is also an annual worldwide day of giving set aside on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
We have an enthusiastic team of cheerleaders eagerly anticipating what the Lord would do through His people. And we constantly pause to marvel at the joyful giving of our donors. One of our cheerleaders texted an image of 2 Corinthians 9:7, the Verse of the Day. It just so happened that our Bible study ladies were also reading this passage a few days later. This is what we read.
The point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work. As it is written:
He distributed freely;
he gave to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.Now the one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will also provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the proof provided by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone. And as they pray on your behalf, they will have deep affection for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
2 Corinthians 9:6–15 CSB
Obedience Demonstrates Gratitude
Years ago, I copied these notes on this passage from The Gospel Transformation Bible.
Paul is careful to ground his call for Christian obedience in the grace that we have been given in Christ. Obedience is an attempt to express our gratitude for the inexpressible gift that we have received (v. 15). Our abounding good works flow out of Christ’s abounding grace (v. 8). The distribution of our resources flows out of his free distribution (v. 9). We supply others because he has supplied us with a multitude of blessings (v. 10). Yes, there is a sense in which all of this is submission, but it is a submission to an authority of grace—a compulsion of responsive love. It is something that is naturally flowing from our “confession of the gospel of Christ” (v. 13). The result is the production and overflowing of thanksgivings to God (vv. 11–12).
If you find yourself lacking the impulse to give to those in need, you are likely forgetting the surpassing grace that was given to you while you were in need (v. 6). If you are unable to forgive, you have lost sight of the forgiveness that is yours in Christ. A forgiving heart is a forgiven heart. If you are unable to give something up, there is lack of appreciation for all that Christ gave up on your behalf. When you identify the area where gospel growth is lacking, you are identifying the place where you are failing to believe the gospel. Ask the Holy Spirit to make Christ and the gospel real to you. This is what the Spirit delights to do.
The Gospel Transformation Bible
Wiersbe Delimits Gratitude in Graceful Giving
The Bible Exposition Commentary by Warren Wiersbe adds these insights regarding 2 Corinthians 9:6–15.
The farmer has to wait for his harvest, but the believer who practices grace giving begins to reap the harvest immediately. To be sure, there are long-range benefits from our giving, but there are also immediate blessings.
To begin with, we start to share God’s abundant grace (2 Cor. 9:8). The “universals” in this verse are staggering: all grace; always; all sufficiency; every good work. This does not mean that God makes every Christian wealthy in material things; but it does mean that the Christian who practices grace giving will always have what he needs when he needs it. Furthermore, the grace of God enriches him morally and spiritually so that he grows in Christian character. In his walk and his work, he depends wholly on the sufficiency of God.
The word sufficiency means “adequate resources within” (see Phil. 4:11). Through Jesus Christ, we can have the adequacy to meet the demands of life. As Christians, we do need to help and encourage one another; but we must not depend on one another. Our dependence must be on the Lord. He alone can give us that “well of water” in the heart that makes us sufficient for life (John 4:14).
We not only share God’s grace, but we also share His righteousness (2 Cor. 9:9). Paul quoted Psalm 112:9 to prove his point. That psalm describes the righteous man who has no fears because his heart is sincere and obedient to the Lord. Paul did not suggest that we earn righteousness by our giving, because the only way to get righteousness is by faith in Jesus Christ. However, if our hearts are right, our giving will be used by God to make our characters righteous. Grace giving builds Christian character.
Finally, as we sow, we are enriched and we enrich others (2 Cor. 9:11). The farmer reaps immediate physical benefits as he works in his field, but he has to wait for the harvest. The Christian who is motivated by grace reaps the blessings of personal enrichment in his or her own life and character, and this enrichment benefits others. The final result is glory to God as others give thanks to Him. Paul was careful to point out that grace giving does not bring credit to us; it brings thanksgiving to God. We are but channels through whom God works to meet the needs of others. But 2 Corinthians 9:11 teaches another truth: God enriches us so that we may give even more bountifully. One of the joys of grace giving is the joy of giving more and more. Everything we have—not just our income—belongs to God, is given to God, and is used by God to accomplish His work. We are enriched in everything because we share everything with Him and with others.
The Bible Exposition Commentary
Gratitude Isn’t Just for Thanksgiving!
God abundantly blesses His children with His grace. And when we express our gratitude through graceful giving, everyone benefits from the overflow of God’s grace.
Did you miss #GivingTuesday? You may always donate to DDCommunity through our fee-free partnership with PayPal Giving Fund. Your gracious gifts help us train, support, and encourage Christian leaders. And your contributions can make a significant difference in empowering these leaders to impact their communities and your own life. Let’s work together to make a lasting impact on the lives of those they serve.
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