Cheerful Investors

“The point is this:” says Paul, “the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” I wonder if the Corinthians heard this passage the same way that it falls on the ears of most Americans. We live in a cost/benefit analysis society. So when we hear that there is a return on investment, we start calculating the potential gain for ourselves. If I sow, I reap. I give some; I get more. Paul doesn’t say the crop is money, though.

Paul is drawing on Old Testament imagery to invite them to discover this whole new economic system, the system of three words we found in the previous chapter last week: charin, generosity; charis, grace and eucharistos, gratitude.

Now, to be clear, he wants them to give to the offering for the church in Jerusalem. Paul is concerned that he has gone to the church in Macedonia and bragged on them for giving so generously. Because the Corinthians started out well, giving their offering every week. But then they stopped, and now the Macedonians, who don’t have nearly the resources that the Corinthians do, have surpassed them in their offering. AND, some of them are coming back with Paul when he is picking up the offering at Corinth. So, we see in the beginning of this passage Paul is trying to prevent a train wreck. He wants to keep the unity in the church – everyone feeling good about everyone else. He doesn’t want the Macedonians resenting or questioning the faithfulness of the Corinthians. Part of the whole reason for the offering is that the church in Jerusalem is in need, and they aren’t sure about Paul’s whole mission to the Gentiles to start with. If they see that the Gentile Christians are loving and generous, it will go a long way toward acceptance and church unity.

But then, when Paul backs away from the present situation, he says, “The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” The real reason for giving isn’t because you feel guilty or I have leaned hard on you. The real reason for giving is that you will grow in your relationship with God. You will grow spiritually. Generosity is sown, and grace grows. And as we see that grace growing, we are grateful. Sowing generosity and reaping grace results in lives of gratitude. It is a cheerful investment.

Paul knows that putting God first is not just a rule for the sake of having rules. It is a rule for the sake of having a life of abundance. God’s vision for the world is for us to come freely to put God first when we realize how God has blessed us. One scholar put it this way, “Generosity aligns one’s life with God’s purposes.”

When we see our purpose for living as trying to be who God hoped we would be when God made us, we are generous. Jesus teaches about the final judgment and says the righteous will not know when they fed Jesus or gave him something to drink, or welcomed him or clothed him, or looked after him when he was sick and in prison because it is when they do it for the least in this world that they do it for Jesus. Pastor Kevin Stirratt says about Jesus’ teaching that “True generosity flows out of our character. It is just who we are. And so, when we see someone in need, we try to meet the need. When we see someone hurting, we try to help. It isn’t extraordinary. It’s the way things should be.”

There is a deep truth there – it is the way things should be. And when things are the way they should be, there is joy and contentment. We give cheerfully. Because we have stopped worshipping the stuff of this world and trusted God more. And we have invested in God’s kingdom. We have become part of making the world the way God dreamed it would be when he spoke it into being.

What could be more exciting that having your life matter? What an investment! We all have resources – money, time, ideas, abilities – why would we not be generous with them? Because when you die, and we all will, the pastor will do what I have done time and time again, the pastor will ask your family for words that describe you. What were some of the things you were known for? What are some of the stories that really highlight your personality? You know what? Those stories will tell how you spent your resources. Wouldn’t you like for them to be stories about generosity? About how your life was aligned with God’s purposes? About how you blessed others?

Rev. Adam Hamilton tells about a member of his church, John Dallam, who lost his son when he was in his mid-60’s and went on his first mission trip. John came home and started working on Habitat houses. When he retired at 83 because of health problems, John had led the church in building more than 90 Habitat houses. But, he didn’t stop giving kept volunteering to greet and usher and coordinate blood drives, and then John had a dream with a message, ‘Teach the youth construction so they can take your place in Habitat and in missions.’ So over the next two years he taught 36 young people to take his place – wiring, plumbing, drywall, general construction. Not long before he died, John took his pastor aside, ‘Adam,’ he said, ‘the last eighteen years of my life, serving God here at the church, have been the best years of my life!’ It all started when he chose to be generous with his resources, when he decided to give in order to make a positive difference for the purposes of Christ. He reaped an abundant life because he generously sowed the seeds of his resources – it was a cheerful investment.

It’s easier to talk about giving time than it is about giving money, though. We all know that the Rockefellers gave, the Carnegies – in Memphis it’s the Buckmans, the Wilsons. Most of us don’t have that kind of money and chances are most of us never will. So, we hold on and wait. We wait for when money won’t be tight, when we just have a little more. Then we will be generous. Then we will think about giving regularly.

But, do you know what happens? “When people with different incomes are asked, ‘How much more income would it take for you to be happy?’ they answer in surprisingly consistent ways, saying that 20 percent more income would ease their burdens, help them buy all they needed, and bring security.” (Schnase) $10,000 a year – need $12,000, $50,000 – $60,000, $500,000 need just $100,000 more. I love how Dave Ramsey describes our spending habits, ‘We buy things we don’t even need with money we don’t even have to impress people we don’t even know.’

So how do we become cheerful investors in God’s kingdom? It starts with our hearts, but it quickly becomes practical. When do you have time? What ideas do you have to share? What abilities do you have? How will you spend the dollars you have?

When I was a single seminary student living on a very tight budget. I kept a ledger with each expense and pennies were literally counted carefully. And now, I might have a $5 bill in my purse and not even remember it is there. Or, I might run through the drive-thru and spend $10 without thought. And I never go into Target without at least glancing at something that is tempting…for me it is the towel row, soft, bright, fluffy towels in perfect condition. But those dollars add up…and the burger and fries and the stack of towels in every color of the rainbow do too.

Start small – What if for the rest of summer, you became a cheerful investor of your money? What if you decided how you would spend your money – every dollar? What if every time you thought about eating out you considered your options? What if every time you started to impulse buy, you stopped and waited 24 hours? I am going to start taking a picture on my phone. You could just make a list. If you really want it, get it. If not, keep up with how much you save. At the end of the summer, add up what you would have spent without thinking and give it away. Be generous with it. You’ll be amazed how it feels – the joy of giving generously and reaping grace! Thanks be to God!