There is always a danger – a danger that we will take all the things in our life for granted. We could either begin to think that we deserve what we have – based on some inherent right as humans, or the effort used to attain what we have, or some obligation we think God has to us. God wants to share his blessings with us. But he doesn’t give so that we can take advantage of him. He doesn’t graciously provide so that we can boast in our strength, wisdom and skill. And he certainly doesn’t give because we hold some magic spell over him.

Remember this – a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each make up your own mind as to how much you should give. Don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who give cheerfully. And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the scriptures say,

“Godly people give generously to the poor. Their deeds will not be forgotten.”

For God is the one who gives seed to the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will give you many opportunities to do good, and he will produce a great harvest of generosity in you.

2 Corinthians 9:6-102 Corinthians 9:6-10
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
6 Remember this saying, “A few seeds make a small harvest, but a lot of seeds make a big harvest.” ⁷ Each of you must make up your own mind about how much to give. But don't feel sorry that you must give and don't feel that you are forced to give. God loves people who love to give. ⁸ God can bless you with everything you need, and you will always have more than enough to do all kinds of good things for others. ⁹ . The Scriptures say, “God freely gives his gifts to the poor, and always does right.” ¹⁰ . God gives seed to farmers and provides everyone with food. He will increase what you have, so that you can give even more to those in need.

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Then you will have everything you will need and plenty left over to share with others. God blesses us, and we need not feel ashamed at that. Some would have us all feel miserable because we don’t all have the same income, the same opportunities, the same aspirations. But God has not promised that sort of “fairness”. He has promised to give us abundant lives – lives that overflow with goodness and satisfaction. He has designed a body that can share in each others daily needs, with open hearts and open hands.

God’s provision is a great thing. But it was never intended to enrich ourselves, to make us “comfortable”. It is certainly meant to meet our needs, but it is also meant to be shared. In other words, God gives us more than we need! But that doesn’t mean everything he gives is for our own pleasure and enjoyment. Once again, God gives with an eye to community and relationships.

It really does come down to recognizing the source of all we have. If we think of our pay as something that is our due because of the years of school, the hours spent each day, the skills we have developed…we begin to think that we are the source. This can be incredibly securing, if we are doing well. But it also will cause us to judge others incorrectly. We begin to assume that someone who has less than us is less skilled, less intelligent, less worthy. This train of thought only furthers the idea that, “my stuff is my stuff”. It breeds a feeling that we deserve what we have, and if others don’t have, they don’t deserve; or worse, would probably misuse or squander if they did have.

The idea that we are the sole source of our needs is an affront to the God who is our real provider. I love where Paul writes, For God is the one who gives seed to the farmer and then bread to eat. In that one sentence Paul conveys that the whole breadth of our need and livelihood is caught up in God’s provision. The farmer certainly worked hard. He toiled and sweated, worked long hours and put his whole being into the work. But it is God who provides the input to all our labors – the seed that will become produce in the end. And then that produce eventually becomes the provision for our physical needs. We cannot claim “sole provider” on any of it.

God wants us to seek our security in him, not in our skills and strength. Not that our skills and strength aren’t useful tools – but they will fail us where God will not. They certainly cannot be our security, as limited as they are in the grand scheme of things. I wonder if we would be inclined to trust our own strength and ability if we really saw the outcome as “not our own”? It seems appropriate to consider the fruit of our labors as rightfully ours if we are the only one who will reap the benefits. But God sees the fruit of our labor as a fluid, shared commodity. For this to work out, it cannot be by our strength alone!

As so often is the case as we consider following Christ, God’s provision calls us to think outside our own interests and needs. God’s provision doesn’t just meet a physical need, it calls us to grow in love, grace and kindness. It compels us on to experience Jesus in his fullness.

prayer

Jesus, I thank you for all that you have blessed us with. Help our words and actions to be fruitful. Help us to share the life changing gospel with power and effectiveness. Help us to offer hope to those who can’t find it. Help us to respond to our neighbors’ needs out of love.

Lord, let your spirit be at work in us, growing a healthy and strong body. Help us all to live by the Spirit, and not our own strength.

In all these things we thank you for your presence – what you have done to redeem us and what you continue to do to make us a holy people that brings you glory. Amen.

If we are going to be a body that reaches into the community, into the world, we will have to constantly remember that life is more than just personal ethics, having the right “code”, performing the right behavior. And following Christ is not something we do alone. We need the encouragement that the body provides. We need the support and direction. I wonder if it is pride that makes us think that we can please God in our own effort, apart from our part in the body? Or is it just an inability to grasp God’s vision for the Church?

Oh, dear Corinthian friends! We have spoken honestly with you. Our hearts are open to you. If there is a problem between us, it is not because of a lack of love on our part, but because you have withheld your love from us. I am talking now as I would to my own children. Open your hearts to us!

2 Corinthians 6:11-132 Corinthians 6:11-13
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
11 Friends in Corinth, we are telling the truth when we say that there is room in our hearts for you. ¹² We are not holding back on our love for you, but you are holding back on your love for us. ¹³ I speak to you as I would speak to my own children. Please make room in your hearts for us.

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Please open your hearts to us. We have not done wrong to anyone. We have not led anyone astray. We have not taken advantage of anyone. I’m not saying this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts forever. We live or die together with you. I have the highest confidence in you, and my pride in you is great. You have greatly encouraged me; you have made me happy despite all our troubles.

2 Corinthians 7:2-42 Corinthians 7:2-4
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
The Church Makes Paul Happy ² Make a place for us in your hearts! We haven't mistreated or hurt anyone. We haven't cheated anyone. ³ I am not saying this to be hard on you. But, as I have said before, you will always be in our thoughts, whether we live or die. ⁴ I trust you completely. f I trust you completely: Or “I have always spoken the truth to you” or “I can speak freely to you.” I am always proud of you, and I am greatly encouraged. In all my trouble I am still very happy.

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I hope as you read these two short passages that you hear Paul’s heart; he is crying for the Corinthians to realize that they are bound to him in love. Who they are is tied up in who Paul is. Who Paul is is tied up in who they are. Alone, both suffer a great loss. They are part of the same body, part of a community.

Receiving love is not any easier than giving it it seems. Giving love makes us vulnerable. Will our love be valued? Or will it be taken advantage of? Will it grow? But receiving love is also likely to make us vulnerable. Receiving love requires that we recognize our dependence on each other. And this isn’t just that we meet each others’ needs – like loaning money, trading childcare, borrowing vehicles, helping each other move. All that is involved in what it means to be a Christian community, but much more.

We live or die together with you. That’s an important relationship. One that should not be taken for granted. Who we are is tied up in the relationships we make. Though we often claim to value independence, it is often only a cover to protect ourselves from the truth – our relationships have a huge impact on who we are. We are not as independent as we tell ourselves.

Jesus certainly didn’t think of himself as independent. He was part of something, and needed – even asked – for the support of those closest to him. He always first took the time to grow closer to God. But he did not stop there. He “got dirty” in people’s lives, allowing them to be a part of God’s call in his life. People were not a burden, one more thing on the “savior” checklist. People were his mission; Jesus came so he might identify with us. We don’t have a cold and detached savior – we have a compassionate friend who has experienced life and relationship.

We rub off on each other. A single word can send us to the heights of joy or the depths of a bad mood. Without other Christians to encourage and challenge us – to grow along with us – we will never fully experience things like love, joy peace, kindness… These all involve connections, community, personal involvement in each others’ lives. And without our particular manner and weaknesses, someone is not going to develop the forgiving and praying spirit God desires in them. Becoming more like Christ is something we can’t do alone!

God expects us to be shaped by those around us; he wants us to choose our companions wisely for this very reason. First, we realize that who we are is bound up in what we have received from God. Second, we begin to grasp that who we are is bound up in what we receive from those God has placed in our lives. We may never fully grasp the significance of each soul surrounding us. But that doesn’t stop the whole body from being enriched by God’s wonderful plan.

We encounter trouble. Bad days, month, years. We encounter events that we can’t control. We encounter circumstances under which even when we choose and decide with the best of wisdom, the results are less than we might desire. You may be going through something right now that bends you over, making you need the support of friends and God. We all encounter trouble.

So being faced with trouble is itself not proof of anything. It doesn’t tell us that we are in God’s favor, nor under his judgment. Our response, however, says volumes. Recognizing that our circumstances are used by God to shape us and help us to live out God’s will in our lives, we can respond with joy and satisfaction:

We try to live in such a way that no one will be hindered from finding the Lord by the way we act, and no one can find fault with our ministry. In everything we do we try to show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in jail, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We have proved ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, our sincere love, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 6:3-62 Corinthians 6:3-6
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
3 We don't want anyone to find fault with our work, and so we try hard not to cause problems. ⁴ But in everything and in every way we show that we truly are God's servants. We have always been patient, though we have had a lot of trouble, suffering, and hard times. ⁵ . We have been beaten, put in jail, and hurt in riots. We have worked hard and have gone without sleep or food. ⁶ But we have kept ourselves pure and have been understanding, patient, and kind. The Holy Spirit has been with us, and our love has been real.

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Paul could have wallowed in self pity, considering all the obstacles as a sign he was outside of God’s will. Rather, he recognized that he was dependent on God, and that God was not unseated from his throne by the world’s ill will. It became an opportunity to patiently endure, becoming more like Christ, and propelling the gospel forward.

Our entire being is dependent on God. Our circumstances are part of God’s work in our lives. Our genes and our upbringing come together, beyond our control, but not beyond God’s. He has uniquely designed us to bring himself pleasure and to fulfill is purpose. God can and does work in the details of our life, with the Spirit guiding us and making us aware of his will. We are dependent on the work of the Spirit so that we can respond!

How do you respond to trouble? When the crisis comes – sickness, death, pain – it can seem overwhelming. But God is ready to respond with his presence if we will patiently endure and allow him to work. We can’t escape from our dependence on him. We can hide, we can shout at the heavens, but we don’t stop God from being God in our lives.

And to be honest, this fact is not always comforting. When we are hurting, God can seem distant and uncaring. He can seem unresponsive  – silent. This is the way our nature, broken and misshapen by sin, sees God’s action sometimes. But God still intends us to find comfort in our dependence on him. It is in our dependence that we prove ourselves – by our purity, our patience, our kindness, our love and his Spirit at work in our lives.

So we have stopped evaluating others by what the world thinks about them. Once I mistakenly thought of Christ that way, as if he were merely a human being. How different I think about him now! What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!

All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did. And God has given use the task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sin against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. We are Christ’s ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you. “Be reconciled to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:16-212 Corinthians 5:16-21
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
16 We are careful not to judge people by what they seem to be, though we once judged Christ in that way. ¹⁷ Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. ¹⁸ God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others. ¹⁹ What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace. ²⁰ We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God. ²¹ Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so that Christ could make us acceptable to God.

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One of the most clear ways we are dependent on God is for our standing before him. God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. As followers of Jesus, we are aware of our own inability to measure up. We fail to love God, and we fail to love people. There is nothing we can boast in when it comes to our ability to come to God’s throne asking for his help. God sent Jesus. It was he, not us, who bridged the gap between us.

As far as “receiving” goes, this should be a no-brainer. We must either receive God’s act of reconciliation, or we won’t have it. There is no way we can get reconciliation with God on our own. This new life that God gives is not something that we produce on our own. It isn’t based on special knowledge or the right friends or upbringing. It is based on God’s compassion.

Two responses seem to come to mind: thanks and obedience. When we receive with the right spirit, these responses (we might use slightly different wording) are natural consequences. First, we give thanks. We tell God that we recognize what he has done, the value of the gift. We tell him that we grasp what it cost – though we may not fully understand it. Second, we obey.

When we receive a gift, “obey” may not be the word that comes to mind. But if we receive a gift, don’t we usually show the gift some level of care and concern? We show by our treatment that the gift is valuable to us. In relation to God’s gift, the result is that we obey him. And what would it mean to obey? We love him, in a way that continually deepens over time. We love others,  learning how to forgive and how to show compassion and mercy. We follow his lead, growing more like Him in every way.

If you have been reconciled with God, thank him today. And then obey him, looking for every opportunity to demonstrate the change he has made in you. If that is not a reality in your life yet, then we offer the same plea as Paul, “Be reconciled to God!” Let him show you how life was intended to be! Let him create new life. You will never be the same.

This week, keep tuned as we look at receiving, concluding our series on giving. By “receiving”, we mean our dependence on both God and the body. God has designed us to be social beings, interacting and being part of each other. And this is all rooted in our dependence on God himself! A great book that illustrates this is 2 Corinthians. We will look at chapters 5-9 over the next couple days.