Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written:
“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.”
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (2 Corinthians 9:6-11 NIV)
Can you name the richest American ever? Today, we probably think of Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos. But historians say the richest American ever isn’t either of them. Do you know whom it is? John D. Rockefeller. Ever heard of him? He lived around the year 1900 and founded the Standard Oil Company right when cars and the need for oil was booming. He amassed a personal fortune of hundreds of billions of dollars in today’s money. That’s even more than Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates have today. One day, John Rockefeller was asked, “How much money is enough?” With his hundreds of millions in the bank, do you know what he said? “Just a little bit more.”
He’s right, isn’t he? “Just a little bit more.” Does that describe your life? Whether you have billions of dollars or a little less, doesn’t it always feel like we need just a little bit more? There’s not enough money to get what we really want. There aren’t enough hours in the day. There’s not enough time to finish projects at work. There’s not enough energy to finish projects at home. Not enough friendships to feel like we’re loved. We’re close, right? But we’re always just a little bit short. This is our default human condition. It’s never quite enough, is it? “Just a little bit more!”
I’ll admit that I feel that way a lot. There just isn’t quite enough of anything to stretch as far as you’d like it to go. I’ve often felt that way, but I’ve never known quite how to describe it until I heard a word a few years ago: “Scarcity.” Have you ever heard that word before? “Scarcity.” When I heard that, I thought, “That’s it! That’s my life!” We go through life with a scarcity mentality. If I just had a little more time…If I just had a little more energy…If I just had a little more money…If I just had a few more friends…But I’m always a little short. Scarcity. Agree?
There’s just one problem: That’s not true! In fact, this scarcity mentality is an absolute lie that comes straight from the devil. Here’s why: If I don’t have enough, that can only mean one thing: God hasn’t given me enough. Is that true? No. What a lie! If you want to see where this all started, just back to the Garden of Eden. Remember how it all went down? Adam and Eve were in the perfect Garden of Eden surrounded by everything they could have possibly desired, and yet the devil somehow convinced Eve that she didn’t have enough. “I need that one more fruit…God hasn’t given me quite enough…” Scarcity entered the world with devastating results.
Just think of the results of this scarcity mentality. We’re never content. In fact, contentment has become a bad thing. Can you imagine a political candidate campaigning on a platform of contentment? “I am content.” What would the reaction be? “What! You’re crazy! How can you be content? We’re short on…” We’re never content. We’re always frazzled. Always running. Always struggling for that one more thing. For just a little bit more. God hasn’t given us enough!
Here’s one more result of this scarcity lie: It hurts to give. “God wants my money too? No!” Generously has become painful. Giving has lost its joy. In fact, you could use that as a test for how hard you have fallen to the scarcity lie. How hard it is for you to give your money away? If it’s painful to give our money away, we’re living with an attitude of scarcity. How did talking about money become a forbidden subject—especially in church? Because we think we always need just a little bit more. The devil has convinced us we’re always just a little bit short. Scarcity.
I’m so glad you’re here today, because God wants to completely change our mindset! He starts by taking us to a farm. “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” Think of a farmer: If you don’t sow, you won’t reap. A farmer has to give to receive. In fact, the more seed he gives up and plants in the ground, the greater his harvest will be. That takes tremendous trust, but it works! God says that it works the same with him. He who gives, receives. He who sows generously, reaps generously.
Really? That takes a lot of trust in God. Is God good for it? Can we count on him? Listen to this promise: “God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” The devil fills us with this “just a little bit more” disease. In contrast, I want you to count how many times God says “all” or “every” or “abound”. Ready? “God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” Six times! We don’t have a God of “just a little bit more.” We have a God of “all.” God is not a God of scarcity. He is a God of abundance.
That phrase “bless you abundantly” really says “make all grace abound to you.” God’s grace is his undeserved love for us in Jesus. How much of that grace is there? An abundance of it. God describes his grace like a flood. God’s grace is abounding and overflowing. “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). Earlier, we sang, “What grace is this! My Lord and King has set his face to suffering. My God eternal dies to bring eternal life to me.” That’s not just a little grace. It’s an abundance of grace! How do we get past the “I need a little more” thinking? Grace!
You don’t need a little bit more. You have it all! “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way…” Earlier in 2 Corinthians, Paul wrote, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Did you hear what the Bible calls you in both of those verses? Rich. Rich in Jesus. Jesus died for you. Jesus has forgiven you. Jesus saved you. Jesus loves you. You are rich. Rich right now!
Because being rich isn’t about a number. You could have all the money in the world, but still be poor. Being rich is an attitude. It is the gift of God’s grace. You have something that Elon Musk with all of his money doesn’t have. You have God’s peace in your heart. Your worth isn’t determined by your bank account. It’s determined by Jesus’ blood. Your freedom isn’t a result of your constant struggling. It’s the result of Jesus’ forgiveness. You are rich! You will leave church today without a single dollar more in your pocket. You’ll leave without a single hour more in your day. But you are not one bit short. You are rich with the overflowing grace of God!
Sometimes people talk about different perspectives in life. Are you a glass half-empty or glass half-full kind of person? I hope you’re neither. Because neither is right. The glass is full! “God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” The glass is full! Whenever this scarcity nonsense creeps back into your mind, tell yourself, “God is able…God is able…God is able…All…All…All…I am rich.” We don’t have a God of scarcity. We have a God of abundance. He has blessed you!
But God’s abundance isn’t meant to stop with you. It says, “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” God has blessed you with all that you need for a purpose. God wants to make you the greatest possible blessing to other people. You are not an end in yourself. God’s blessings are not meant to come to you and stop. He’s got a much bigger purpose for you than that! You exist to be a blessing to others. God wants his abundance to flow through you.
Have you ever heard of “seed money?” It’s money that’s used to start something bigger. You might put some “seed money” into your child’s college account—and hope it grows. You might invest “seed money” in a business and hope it pays dividends. God’s blessings to us aren’t ends in themselves. They are like “seed money.” The money and time and possessions and talents that God has given you are seed money to sow generously. He doesn’t want us to keep our blessings to ourselves any more than a farmer keeps his seeds to himself. He gives us blessings to plant them so that they grow and flourish and bless even more people with God’s abundance.
We’re going to spend some time the next couple weeks talking about all the practical advice God gives us for giving to him and others. But here’s a start today: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Giving is connected to your heart. It’s a decision that reflects your faith in Jesus. This is why I can’t tell you how much to give! But as you decide, ask yourself: Do I have a God of abundance or scarcity? Do I have a God who leaves me a little short or gives me all?
If you still need encouragement, I’ve got to share with you one more Bible verse. Jesus once said, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38). Isn’t that awesome? God gives like brown sugar. At least how I measured out brown sugar as a kid. I would fill the cup full, and then pack it down. Then fill it back to the top and pack it down again. Then fill it up and pack it right to the top. And then, for good measure, heap some on top and dump it all into the cookies. That’s how God gives. “A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over…” Trust in him—our God of abundance!
I can’t end without sharing something else amazing about Jesus. He accomplished more than anyone in the history of the world. But out of all the things Jesus did, do you know something that you don’t ever hear Jesus doing? Running! Jesus never ran. In fact, Jesus had 24-hour days, and he only lived 33 years. But he had enough time to save us. Let’s be honest, there is not a hint of scarcity in our lives. God has given you exactly the right amount of time to serve him. God has given you exactly the right amount of money to serve him. God has given you exactly the right talents to serve him. Don’t wish you had a little bit more. Rejoice in what he’s given you.
This Rockefeller guy I told you about was actually a very generous man. He was a Christian and gave away hundreds of millions of dollars in his lifetime. His desire to give led him to develop a habit: He gave a dime to every single person he met—from a tiny baby to the president of the United States. Everywhere he went, he gave out dimes. It’s estimated that he gave away $35,000 in dimes. If you do the math, that’s 350,000 people he gave a dime to. That’s a lot of seed money. And he smiled all the way! Joyful generosity is our response to a God of abundance.
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