2 Corinthians 9:8
“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:”
The desire of every Christian should be that what they do for Christ not only works, but that it works in a great way. God says in the verse above that He is able to make our works abound. What a promise that God gives to the Christian, and what confidence this should give them as they serve Him.
If God is able to make our works abound, then we need to know what it means to “abound?” The word “abound” means, “To have or possess in great quantity or to be in great plenty.” God is saying that there is a way that our works can have plenty of rewards. The word “abound” has an even greater meaning than this. “Abound” comes from the latin word “abundo” which means to come in waves. In other words, God is not just saying that He will reward us plentifully, but that He will reward us plentifully in waves.
How then can we get these abounding works? It all goes back to verse 6, where God is teaching the Christian how they should give. The abounding works will only come if a Christian gives. I know we often use this verse to teach about financial giving, but it goes further than that. It is a verse that is teaching the principles of giving. God wants us to give, but He wants us to give a certain way so that we can have the abounding works. Let me show you these two ways that God wants the Christian to give.
First, God wants us to give bountifully. In other words, God wants the Christian to be generous. Don’t be stingy with your giving. When giving financially, don’t just give to the penny, but give well above what you should give. When you are giving love, don’t be stingy with the love you give, but be bountiful with the giving of your love. Don’t be a stingy giver with your time, talent, grace or help because God blesses the person who gives bountifully.
Second, God wants you to give cheerfully. You shouldn’t begrudge the fact that you have to love someone. You should be happy that you can give your love to someone. You shouldn’t resent being gracious to someone, because God loves it when you are cheerfully gracious. You shouldn’t give financially because you have to, but you should give willingly with a happy heart. When God says that He wants us to give cheerfully, He is simply teaching that He desires the Christian to have a good spirit about whatever they give.
The result of having a giving spirit that gives abundantly and cheerfully is that God makes our works abound. Are you tired of the status quo in your Christian life? Then start giving bountifully with a cheerful heart. God will certainly bless if you give, but He promises to bless with great quantity in waves if you will learn to be an abundant, cheerful giver. Let this encouragement change your attitude towards giving. Let this help you realize that you can either be blessed or abound in blessings depending upon how you give.