The Joy Of Giving Series

On the day after Christmas, some time ago, Mr. Greene parked his car to pick up the morning paper. He noticed a dirty, poorly dressed boy, staring at his car. Seeing the boy eyeing his car, Mr. Greene reminded himself to be quick or he might be missing a hubcap or two when he returned. He came out of the store with his paper under his arm, and just as he opened the door to his car, the boy asked, “Mister, how much would a new car like this cost?”

Mr. Greene responded, “I really don’t know; my brother gave me this car as a gift.”

The ragged little boy, with a look of wonder in his eyes, said, “Gee, I wish I could be a brother like that” (Kay Arven, 1+1=1).

Don’t you wish you could be a brother like that? Don’t you wish you could be an extravagant giver? Well, the good news is you can! If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to 2 Corinthians 9, 2 Corinthians 9, where the Apostle Paul shows how each of us can become extravagant givers.

2 Corinthians 9:1-5 Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints, for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them. But I am sending the brothers so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be. Otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—for being so confident. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the gift you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an exaction (ESV).

Paul had used the zeal of the Corinthians to challenge the Macedonians. But now he was using the Macedonians to challenge the Corinthians! (Wiersbe). Paul was taking up a collection for the poor believers in Jerusalem. And the Corinthians, a year before, had expressed an eagerness to give. However, in that year, the Corinthians had yet to give. On the other hand, the Macedonians gave immediately.

Now, Paul is afraid that the Corinthians will embarrass themselves in front of the Macedonians on the “finance committee,” coming to collect the funds. So he encourages the Corinthians to “be ready” when they get there. That way they show that their gift is “a willing gift, not as an exaction” (vs.5), literally, “a blessing and not a [matter of] greed.” In other words, by being ready to give, their gift benefits the receivers without the givers expecting to get something back in return (Easley, CSB Study Bible Notes).

In the same way, when you give readily, people receive it as a pure blessing, a benefit, without thinking someone is pushing you to give by promising something in return. So, if you want to become an extravagant giver…

GIVE PROMPTLY.

Get ready to give when the need arises. Prepare to share so the money is available when required.

Churches in the northeastern Indian state of Mizoram have a beautiful phrase to express the way they give to God—“Buhfai Tham.” It means “one handful of rice at a time.” This is how it works: Families in the church set aside a portion of rice at every meal for God. When they collect enough rice, they donate it to their local church. The church turns around and sells the rice to generate income.

In 1914, they used the sale of rice to raise $1.50 (in U.S. money). Eventually, though, they collected $1.5 million a year to support 1,800 missionaries, in addition to local ministry. These Indian Christians also started to give in more creative ways, donating vegetables, firewood, and other resources to the church's outreach for the kingdom.

One church leader said:

There are many ways of serving the Lord. Some people do great things. Some people are great preachers. Some people contribute lots and lots of money. But when we talk about this “Handful of Rice,” it is very humble. The service is done in the corner of the kitchen where nobody sees, but God knows and he blesses it.

Another church member said, “It is not our richness or our poverty that make us serve the Lord, but our willingness. So we Mizo people say, ’'As long as we have something to eat every day, we have something to give to God every day’” (vimeo.com/ 16288195#; Paul Pastor, Giving Is Global,” Leadership Journal, Spring 2013; www.PreachingToday.com).