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| • Giving abilities—participating in worship services, cleaning the church, welcoming new people on Sunday morning. Close by saying the key verses one more time. INSIGHTS FROM SCRIPTURE: George Shillington in the Believers Church Bible Commentary writes about the sources that Paul used to illustrate his messages. Shillington says that “Paul’s agricultural metaphor of sowing and reaping was currently being used in Greco-Roman and Jewish writing of the time. The ancients were masters at mixing farming metaphors into their own view of life.” The Jews used similar agriculture imagery throughout the entire book of the Old Testament. In order for Paul to come up with his own illustration for the opening point of this passage, he used much of the well-known agricultural imagery familiar to the Jewish people: the more seed a person plants, the more crops they will reap at harvest time. Paul uses this obvious principal and compares it to giving. Those who give liberally will reap a generous reward in God’s kingdom. And why should we give liberally? Because God has been generous to us. James 1:17 says: “Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” God is the author of everything good, and God doesn’t change. Another story of generous giving is found in Mark 12:41-44, the account of the poor widow placing two small copper coins in the offering. She gave all that she had—the most generous offering a person can make. WORKS CITED: NRSV Harper Study Bible. Lindsell, Harold. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1989 Believers Church Bible Commentary, II Corinthians. Shillington, V. George. Herald Press, Scottdale, PA, 1998 |
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