There's hardly a time when the subject of giving comes up that this verse is not used by a preacher. And rightly so, so Paul gives a strong argument to the discussion. It seems only right that a person's ability to give is directly connected to the way he has shown he is willing to give. And giving is measured in not just money but also time.

In this eighth chapter of this letter to the Corinthians, Paul encourages the believers in Corinth to be generous in their support of Christian causes. Paul called this God-given ability, the "grace" of giving (Vs. 8:7) To me his words teach that grace is like liberally applied grease to an axle. The more you grease you apply to a axle, the easier the wheel turns and the longer you can go without re-greasing.

It seems what we have here is a proverbial catch-22: That is, the one who gives more makes more to give more. Whereas, the one who gives little makes little because he doesn't need much. But, be careful that you don't make the mistake of the wealth and prosperity preachers. They would have you believe the more you give, the more stuff you can have and the more stuff you have the more you want to give. Wrong, wrong wrong!

Paul knew that the church existed out of the total commitment of people who had little to give. But it was their generous gift from a position of poverty that blessed others. And there is never any Scriptural evidence that generous giving makes one personally wealthy. Certainly the desire to get rich is not a motive that God honors.

I encourage you today to not only hear the message of God but listen to it and adjust your lifestyle accordingly. It is not the amount of your gift that matters. God doesn't need your money, but He rewards a liberal investment in His work. The cost of your gift and the spirit by which it is given however are the sole indicators of the extent of your return on investment. How does it look when we approach God with our hand out? Remember this: our reward will certainly come as grace for living but not always as grease in our palm.

1 Developed from Read the Bible Thru ( SS. 5:1-8:14 2 Co. 9:1-15 Ps. 51:1-19 Pr. 22:24-25 )
2. Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society

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