Our daily reflections follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan, designed for those who want to read the whole Bible in one year. Each reflection focuses on one of the chapters from that day's readings. Darllenwch rhain yn Gymraeg.
Lord, prepare me to receive your word. Clear my mind and warm my heart. Assure me of your loving purposes for me, and speak into my life today.
In this chapter Paul is continuing his encouragement to the Corinthian Christians to be generous in their giving. His words are inspiring, but need to be read with care. When he says that 'the one who sows many seeds will have a large crop' (verse 6) he is not saying there's some sort of necessary relationship between what we give and what we get back from God, as some 'prosperity preachers' say. If we give money away, we should expect to be poorer. But giving money generously should flow from an attitude of whole-life generosity, which results in transformed relationships and a powerful witness to the grace of God.
Paul's words are very challenging. Some churches today, particularly evangelical ones, stress the value of 'tithing', giving a tenth of our income away. But Paul doesn't start from there. He says, 'You should each give, then, as you have decided, not with regret or out of a sense of duty' (verse 7).
Grace, for Paul, is everything. We have been given extraordinary gifts; if we truly love God, we will do the right thing because we want to, not because we feel we should. As St Augustine put it strikingly: 'Love, and do what you will.'
God, teach me to be generous with my money, my time and my gifts, not because I am worried about being judged but because I know how much I have been given.
This reflection was written by Mark Woods, Bible Society's Editor
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