You are being enriched

You are being enriched in every way for all generosity

Have you ever been asked to make a contribution to a good cause at a time when you were worried about paying the next bill?   When Paul decided to take up a collection for the Christian community in Jerusalem, some of the believers in Corinth probably found themselves in such a predicament.   They may have wondered why they should give to people hundreds of miles away when they didn’t have enough for themselves.

“You are being enriched in every way for all generosity,” Paul told them (2 Corinthians 9:11).   In other words, God is blessing you abundantly so that you can bless other people.

Paul wasn’t talking only about material blessings here.   He was talking about spiritual ones as well.   It’s similar to what he told the church in Ephesus:   God has “blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing” (1:3).   God was so generous that he sent his only Son to become one of us and die for us, just so that we would know his love and mercy.   It’s this understanding of our “richness” in Christ that can move us to be generous.

Of course, God isn’t asking us to give away all of our money or our time.   But neither does he want us to hold things so tightly that we are reluctant to give anything.

Maybe he will help you see more clearly all the ways he has provided for you, inspiring you to give some of the money you now spend on entertainment to help the poor.   Perhaps your kids are grown, and you now have more free time—time you can donate to your parish.   Or maybe you have been blessed with a rich prayer life, and you sense God asking you to devote some of your prayer time to interceding for other people’s needs.

God is a cheerful giver.   Cheerfully he gave us his Son.   Cheerfully he continues to forgive our sins and shower us with mercy.   Cheerfully he keeps pouring his love into our hearts.   Let’s ask him for the grace to be as cheerful a giver as he is!

Word Among Us