The Gratitude Loop - Week 4 - 11/24/24

2 Corinthians 9:6-15
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written, 

“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; 

his righteousness endures forever.” 

10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

The Apostle Paul is reminding the Corinthian church that they made a commitment to help the church in Jerusalem, and he would be organizing the pickup and delivery of that gift very soon. Paul focuses on the principle that God consistently supplies for people who are determined to be consistently generous, and through that generosity, thanksgiving would be given to God.
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Confession of Faith
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2 Corinthians 9:13 “13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others,”
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The foundation for the actions that led to thanksgiving was the Corinthian church’s faith in Christ as the Messiah. Their belief in Christ and his teachings was the foundational reason they were giving.
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Jesus’ teachings are different. The more you study Jesus, the more you understand that there is no other person or teaching that is remotely equivalent.
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Self sacrifice
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Matthew 16:24–25 “24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
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Grace
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John 8:9–11 “9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.””
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Forgiveness
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Matthew 18:21–22 “21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
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Generosity
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Matthew 6:1–4 “1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
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Submission to His Will
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2 Corinthians 9:13 “13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others,”
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Paul is teaching that their confession of faith had lead to a submission of their will. Obedience is the working out of faith.
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James 1:22–25 “22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”
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James 2:14–17 “14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
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Acting on our faith always includes works toward others. Going to church is not the highest form of obedience. Every follower of Christ is called to submit their individual will to that of God, and it was Christ who taught us to pray that way and live that way.
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Matthew 6:9–10 “9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
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Luke 22:41–42 “41 And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.””
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The Corinthians were used to this language of “ministry of service.” It was commonplace in that culture for the wealthy to be expected and even forced to contribute to the common good.
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A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Second Epistle of St Paul to the Corinthians (9:6–15. Give Liberally and Cheerfully) Λειτουργια is used here in a sense closely akin to its classical meaning of the ‘aids’ which wealthy citizens had to render to the public in financing choruses for dramas (see on v. 10), fitting out triremes, training gymnasts, etc. These publica munera were enforced by law, but St Paul uses the word of voluntary service.
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A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Second Epistle of St Paul to the Corinthians (9:6–15. Give Liberally and Cheerfully) What Athenian citizens who had the means were made to do, Gentile Christians will be glad to do, in order to render service to society and to God.
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Overflowing in Many Thanksgivings to God
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2 Corinthians 9:12 “12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.”
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Faith that produces obedience always results in the care of others, which causes the overflow of thanksgiving to God.
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Philippians 1:3–6 “3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
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Paul was teaching the Corinthians the principle that thanksgiving is multiplied exponentially when faith is exercised in obedience.
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God has given us the ability to participate, and God will be worshiped when we do. He has given us the ability to be generous, and God will be worshiped when we do. If you are thankful for what you have, you are the only one worshiping until you share what you have with someone else.