Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

2 Corinthians 9:6
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.
The law of the harvest is easy to understand: you reap what you sow. If you are miserly with your giving, you need to expect a deeply disappointing harvest. However, if you give generously, you can be sure of an amazing crop, probably far larger than anything you had imagined.
Money is particularly important because, as Jesus observed, it is a rival god. You have to make a choice between serving God or money. You can’t serve both. Money makes huge boasts. It pretends that it can offer security, popularity, contentment and satisfaction, and it demands worship in return. In every generation, people have fallen for the god of money. However, money is not inherently bad. It is part of God’s creation and so is, in fact, inherently good. The problem is when it becomes the master and it drives our thinking and actions. The best way to prove that money is not our master is to learn how to give it away, and to do so generously. Winston Churchill said: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Everything else flows from our ability to give, so we all need to explore ways of giving generously.
Paul spoke about the law of the harvest in this passage in the context of financial giving, but it is a principle which applies to every aspect of our giving. Take, for example, our caring, listening, supporting, teaching, leading and encouraging. If we did these things half-heartedly and reluctantly, we would be foolish to expect much of a result, but if we pour ourselves into these important activities with enthusiasm and joy, we can be sure of an amazing harvest.
Question
In what ways could you become more generous in your own giving?
Prayer
Lord God our Father, you have been incredibly generous to me and I thank you with all my heart. Teach me more of what it means to be increasingly generous in my own giving. Amen

2 Corinthians 8:20-21
We are travelling together to guard against any criticism for the way we are handling this generous gift. We are careful to be honourable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honourable.
Paul had spent some time encouraging people to give money towards a collection that would help the Christians in Judaea who had suffered a severe famine. He knew how easily there can be accusations about the misuse of money, so he put measures in place to prevent this. One of them was to appoint Titus as his travelling companion when the money was taken to Jerusalem. He wanted to ensure that the way he handled the money was not only honouring to the Lord, but also to everyone else.
Such wisdom in the handling of money is necessary in every generation. Through the years, treasurers of churches and charities have been found guilty of misusing funds far too many times. It has often been observed that such crimes are more easily committed within the trusting environment of Christian organisations. Unscrupulous people have taken advantage of this, and harm has been caused to everyone concerned.
It is vital for Christian organisations to observe the highest standards in the handling of money. Putting careful procedures in place might feel too bureaucratic and suggest a lack of trust, but such things are all for the sake of protecting those involved and the good name of the charity. It simply isn’t good enough to say: “We’re all Christians so can be more relaxed about the rules.” Money can be a great temptation, and if careful and strict procedures are not in place, people who have a weakness can easily trip up. For love’s sake, we need to be vigilant and to ensure we maintain the highest standards. The apostle Paul would have thoroughly approved of such an approach!
Question
Are you content that the churches and charities in which you are involved handle money in a proper manner?
Prayer
Lord God, I thank you for the money that you have placed in my hands. Please help me to always use it honourably. Amen

2 Corinthians 8:11-12
Give in proportion to what you have. Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have.
People often ask what amount of money they should give to the Lord, and I think Paul’s words are incredibly helpful. It is probable that the majority of people in the Corinthian church were poor, and his intention wasn’t to make their lives more difficult. At the same time, he knew it was very important that they should give in a disciplined and thoughtful way, so he encouraged them to give money in proportion to what they had.
I was brought up in a family which practised tithing. One tenth of my father’s income went into a small wooden box in the sideboard in our dining room. What impressed me as a child was that this box seemed to have more money in it than anywhere else in the house! It would often have a number of crisp bank notes, and it showed me from the beginning of my life how important it was to set aside money for God. I don’t believe that giving a tenth of one’s income to God is a law. Nevertheless, many people find that tithing is a good basis for their giving. There may be some occasions when it’s not possible, and others when one can be considerably more generous, but it is very good to do what Paul says and give a definite proportion of your income to the Lord.
We always need to keep in mind that everything we have is a gift from God. As King David prayed when the gifts for the temple were being brought together, all we are ever doing is returning to God what he first gave to us, so we have every reason to bring our gifts generously and eagerly to God.
Question
What proportion of your income are you going to give to God?
Prayer
Loving God, thank you for your incredible generosity to me. Help me to become increasingly generous in my giving. Amen

2 Corinthians 8:10-11
Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving.
Does any of this ring a bell with you? It certainly does with me! We begin to do something and we feel very enthusiastic about it, but then other things get in the way. In Corinth, the church had shown a desire to give money to support Paul’s collection for the Christians in Judea, but they then seemed to have forgotten about it. Time had passed and Paul was now eager to remind them of their earlier enthusiasm and to take action.
It is said that the path to hell is paved with good intentions. Anyone can have good intentions, but what matters is that we turn them into action. Another wise saying is that people with good intentions make promises but people with good character keep them. If we are to be effective, we need to ensure that our lives are tuned in to God and that we are continuing to grow in strength and maturity, which will only happen as we spend time with God. Even Jesus himself, who was both a perfect man and the Son of God, needed to spend time with his heavenly Father. Our daily openness to God in prayer will be fundamental to our ability to keep on track with his will.
This is a good moment to think back through the last few months. Perhaps you heard about a charity that desperately needs help, a person who was struggling to make ends meet or an organisation in your church that needs someone to give support. Stop and think for a moment and then ask God whether, like the church in Corinth, this is the time when you need to be turning your good intentions into action.
Question
Is God reminding you of action that you need to take right now?
Prayer
Loving Father, forgive me for those times when I have failed to turn my good intentions into action. In the power of your Spirit, make me stronger so that I can become more effective for you. Amen

2 Corinthians 8:9
You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
The Christian life is, before anything else, characterised by giving, and the reason for this is that it’s how Jesus lived. As we follow in his footsteps, our lives need to be shaped by giving generously. His generosity was so complete that he gave everything and became totally poor in order to make other people rich. This is a huge challenge to all of us in a society that is deeply acquisitive. The assumption is that life is found in acquiring more and more, but Jesus turns that thinking completely on its head.
There is an old proverb which runs: “He who takes but never gives, may last for years but never lives.” That’s a scary thought and should redouble our determination to work out how we should go about our giving. We need to find a deeper understanding of where our money and resources come from. When we realise that it’s all from God’s hands, it becomes obvious that our relationship with our money is that of steward. We brought nothing into this world and we will take nothing out. Our role is to be God’s stewards, so we need to look after our resources in a way that will please him.
In the 15th century, Thomas a Kempis wrote [itals]The Imitation of Christ[end itals] in Latin. It has been in print ever since and reminds us of the fundamental responsibility that we all have to use the life of Christ as a pattern for our lives. No one has ever been more fully alive than Jesus, and as we learn how to give generously, we will discover more and more of what it means to be truly alive.
Question
Jesus is the ultimate example of generous giving, but think of someone in whose life you have seen enormous generosity. What have you learned from them?
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, help me to walk in your footsteps today and to become increasingly generous to others. Amen