2 Corinthians 9:1-15
 
Pastor Dave noted that this week’s passage is a proof text for preachers of a prosperity gospel. They encourage giving as an investment strategy, a get-rich-quick scheme, and many people who call themselves Christians have embraced this distortion. Pray for our brethren near and far who have fallen prey to false teachers. Pray that they (and all of us) will understand that giving is not a way to get for ourselves but rather is joining in the Lord’s work, for His glory and the good of others.
 
Fear can be an obstacle to giving. “I’d like to give,” we think, “but what if I need the money later?” The apostle Paul directly addresses this fear. He teaches that God helps those who help. God gives to us so that we can give. Have you noticed, though, that God doesn’t always give to us in advance so we can then give to others? We often are called to give trusting that, if we experience an unexpected need later, God will provide. Ask the Lord to replace your “what if” fears with full confidence that God is able.
 
Dave acknowledged that there are limits to giving. There are times we have to say no. He posed the honest questions we have all faced: How am I supposed to know in a particular case if I should give … or not? If I give, how much? Dave said that the phrase “as he has decided in his heart” in verse 7 is key. First, we give ourselves, including our hearts, to the Lord, as the Macedonian believers did (8:5). Second, we pray, asking God those difficult questions and listening and watching for a response from the Holy Spirit. Then, we can trust that “if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable,” as 8:12 says. Many of us would prefer some sort of online calculator for giving decisions based on a mathematical algorithm. But that’s not how the Lord operates! Ask Him for the spiritual courage, or faith, to make your giving decisions according to the process Dave outlined, from now on.
 
BONUS –  Prayerfully read (better yet, copy) Psalm 112, the psalm Paul quotes in this passage.  As you do, think about the motives of the righteous, generous man described in the psalm.