9:1-3 While the apostles were in Corinthians, their enthusiasm for the faith was strong and zealous. News of their devotion to this philosophy spread throughout region, reaching and inspiring people to adopt it for themselves. Yet when the apostles left to teach a new region, the active enthusiasm wore slightly off and the Corinthians lost their dedication.
The lesson here is to wholeheartedly cultivate a passion. To never neglect or discard what we have decided is important to us or to humanity, the earth. Our thought and behavior requires consistency in motivation and belief.
9:4-5 For surely it would be a bad representation of the faith for people to travel to Corinth and find that the once zealous believers were giving and donation not from their heart but out of obligation. It is imperative that when we give, we give with a personal sincerity. We must give because we want to, not because we feel like we have to or should.
9:6 We have a hand (two hands, actually...even a whole body) in creating the blessings around us. How we think, speak and behave is an example to God of how we believe humans should be cared for. When we plant a seed, we receive as it grows up into a tree (a validation of our work, but also an unfolding of life and beauty). When we plant a happiness or patience or an opportunity in another person, we spiritually plant those things for yourself.
The earth and spirituality deliver to you what you delivered to it: meaning that your interactions here matter. Immensely. It is as if we are building a brick path to our chosen destination, for every brick we lay, a brick is laid on the other end. What we venture toward ventures toward us. For spirituality ensures that you are given back at least what you gave to it. The more sincere generosity you give, the more sincere generosity you receive. You create energy in the earth and it is grateful and loyal to its creator, returning always to its origin. Therefore create... and ensure you are creating the energy you hope to receive.
9:7 Consider yourself on the receiving end of generosity: do you not prefer someone to give to you readily from their heart rather than hesitantly from obligation? God loves a cheerful giver because He recognizes Himself in His children who delight in giving, in helping, in upholding. God loves a cheerful giver because He relates to the sincerity, the compassion, the humility of the cheerful giver. God loves a cheerful giver because He knows that cheerful givers are the people whose souls change the world.
9:8 An incredibly important verse to remember every single day: "God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work."
God is able to fill your life with grace, with refined direction and serenity. God is able to ensure that not only will you have what you need*, but also in abundance for every good work that you do. Good work is God work: good work is cheerful giving. Good work is done through compassion, humility and sincerity.
*God knows what we need better than we do. Sometimes we think we need something that actually would have derailed us or stunted our emotional, spiritual or even physical growth. When He promises you an abundance, trust that what He gives, in whatever amount, is precisely what you need. He gives many gifts, channeling them through the tunnel of your faith connecting Him to you.
The abundant gifts come in many forms, think more broadly than material possession, but remember: He can only squeeze small things through that that tunnel if your faith is small. The size of the tunnel is directly proportionate to the size of your faith.
9:9 In Pslam 112:9, we are reminded of the diversity of God's gifts. To save or sustain or reward His children, God has enabled the opportunity for relocation. He has enabled the poor to be rich in spirit, creating in them the resilience to survive their context but also thrive as they work their way out of it. The greatest gift of all: Himself. We always have the comfort of knowing that Justice reigns and works on our behalf.
9:10 There are many metaphors in this verse: the sower, the seed, the bread* and the fruits. God provides us (the sower), the opportunity (the seed) and the ability (the bread) to establish the benefits of justice and compassion (the fruits).
God ensures that when we do our best, most sincere and compassionate work, it triumphs and abounds. He emphasizes our work. Multiplies our work. His mutual effort with us and love for us enables compassion to truly thrive and proliferate.
*God is our bread... God is our ability. God is our sustenance.
9:11 Our generosity is a way for us to thank God for what He does, has done and will do for us in our lives. We appreciate His generosity best by exemplifying it.
9:12 In Matthew 25:40, Jesus taught us that what we do for others we have done for God. God is so connected with us that He feels and experiences exactly, keenly, what we feel and experience. Therefore when we show our thanks by feeding another or quenching the thirst of another or giving patience, perspective, opportunity, or justice to another... we have given those gifts to God as well. Our actions are a thank you to Him for His alert and active presence in our lives. In your own and unique way, you have something to give that truly matters.
9:13-14 The ministry represents God and therefore the ministry must be sincere in its generosity in order to inspire and gather and retain more and more fellow workers with God.
9:15 Thanks be to God for more than we can articulate. Truly what He gives to us is abundant, whether it be courage, resilience, purpose or any/everything else.
