Abounding
Today’s devotional is a crash course on Kingdom economics. In the kingdom of God, the more you release, the more you receive. In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul is talking to the church about the fundamentals of generosity. He was encouraging them to support the believers in need by explaining what it looks like when we give generously.
God’s Grace Is Available
Kingdom economics is based not on our personal finances but on the storehouse of heaven, of which we are ambassadors. God has supplied everything that we need through his son Jesus and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. I am convinced that most of us (even the most spiritually mature) walk around each day with less than we could. God has so much grace available for us when we trust in him.
2 Corinthians 9:8 (ESV) says, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”
The point is that it is not about how much we have and carefully budgeting out our income and expenses. It is about being aware of the limitless grace that God has made available to us. If you can have a little faith, you will see that in the Kingdom of God, it is more than a spiritual provision that is available. God brings a physical provision to us as we faithful release what we have to bless others.
Generous God & Our Partnership
This message is not the prosperity gospel in the least. It is the gospel of a generous God! I think Paul’s point here is that we need to go ahead and get generous with what God has given us because that lets God’s grace abound in us more and more.
When we give, there is a two-fold blessing. We provide for others, and we make room for God to provide for us. The rich young ruler missed out on this abounding grace because he could not let go of his financial security.
The secret of the kingdom is that God truly watches over us. He provides grace for every need, but his design is to release more grace in partnership with our generous sowing.
Ultimately, the point is not to try and trick God into giving us more money. It is not about donating to a church so God will give you a sports car. It is about forgetting the fear of lack, sowing generously, and moving on into the abiding grace that is far more important: spiritual revival.
