“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”  Karl Marx, the father of socialism, wrote these words in his famous book Das Kapital.  Much earlier, George Herbert said something similar:  “Hell is full of good meanings and wishings.”

The point both writers are making is this: Thinking about doing a good deed and actually doing the good deed are two different things.  And if we only intend to do good deeds but never actually do them, we are no better than the worst of sinners and are headed, ultimately, to hell.

Now, thank the Lord, our salvation is NOT dependent on what we do, but rather on what Jesus has done for us.  We are called, not to earn our salvation through doing good.  Rather, we are called to receive our salvation through belief in Jesus.

Biblically speaking, faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is the key to salvation – we are saved by faith.  Salvation, however, does not take place in our lives without works, without the actual performance of good deeds in the name of Jesus Christ.  Christ himself declares, in Luke 11:28: “Blessed… are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”  The apostle James sharpens the point even more when he makes two powerful statements; the first in James 1:22: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.”  And the second in 2:17 : “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

James helps us understand the gravity of good intentions which are not backed up by good deeds.  If we do not do the things of faith, our faith is dead.

One of the “things of the faith” which we must do is the action of giving.  God calls us to give – of ourselves, our time, and our resources – as an indicator of the new life that lives in us through Jesus Christ.  Yet, it is often hard for us to go beyond intentions when it comes to giving, especially financial giving – especially in a society such as our own which places such a high premium on the acquisition of material things.  Even though we know we are called to support the cause of Christ financially, and even make commitments to do so through our membership in the church and our support of the annual church budget, it is much easier in our world to spend money on ourselves than it is to give it to God.  We may have the best of intentions, but it is hard to follow through.

The apostle Paul encountered a similar problem with the believers in the church at Corinth .  When these believers became aware of a growing need among their fellow Christians in Jerusalem , they wanted to give, were eager to do so, in fact.  But as time wore on, their enthusiasm began to cool, they began to see that there were many other financial needs to be met.  The result was a growing reluctance to give, a reluctance which – when boiled down – was actually a denial of their faith in Christ.  So it is that Paul writes as he does on our text for this morning.  Paul writes as he does not because he is a manipulating fund-raiser intent on forcing the Corinthians to cough up the cash they’d promised.  Rather, Paul uses the strong language of this chapter because he knows that the very souls of the Corinthians hang in the balance, he knows they are poised to set out down the road of good intentions, leading straight to hell.

In Paul’s words we find a good warning for ourselves as well.  A warning that we not just talk about giving, or simply intend to give, but that we actually do what God desires and engage in “Generous Giving.”

Paul tells at lest four things in this passage about the kind of “Generous Givers” God wants us to be.  The first thing he tell us here is that:

I. Generous Givers Prepare Ahead of Time

Robert Schuler is fond of saying “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.”  This is true about life in general and it is especially true about the act of Christian giving.  If you don’t have a plan to give, if you don’t deliberately prepare to give, you won’t – or at least you won’t give as much or as willingly.

Although it seems in the opening verses of 2 Corinthians 9 that Paul is almost coercing financial resources out of the Corinthian church by sending Titus and company to begin the collection, what Paul is really doing is helping the Corinthians to engage in planned giving.  Planned giving which will do two things for the Corinthians: First, it will save them from being embarrassed.  Having expressed their desire to give, the Corinthians certainly would have been embarrassed if Paul simply showed up and asked for the money – and they weren’t ready to give.  Some of you know that kind of embarrassment: you come to church, you end up being the only one at your end of the row and then the offering plate comes and you have to sheepishly hand it to the deacon without putting anything in – and you’re wondering who else might be looking.

Now, granted we aren’t supposed to do the things we do in order to be seen by others – Christ specifically warns us against that kind of thing.  Yet, we’re also called to be ready, ready to share our faith and ready to give – when called upon.

The second thing Paul does for the Corinthians by sending Titus and company is that he makes it possible for the gift to be given generously and not begrudgingly.  When we don’t plan to give, and then are put in a position where we feel we ought to give, our tendency is to resent that we must give.

Think about the times you’ve come to church with just a ten dollar bill in your pocket.  You’re thinking about Monday and planning on using the $10 to buy paint, or milk for the family, or lunch with a friend.  The offering plate comes by, you look in your wallet and all you have is that ten dollar bill which you’ve already – mentally – spent.  You have little choice but to put that bill in the plate, how are you going to feel?  Joyful that you can give to God?  Probably not.  Instead, you’ll resent having that money taken away.

When we plan to give, it puts us in a frame of mind which is willing, ready, and able to give.  Prepared to be a part of the body of Christ, supporting the work of God.

I strongly encourage you to sit down with your budget and determine how much you will give in advance.  You’ll find that if you do, giving will be much more of a pleasure.

The second thing that Paul tells us about Generous Givers is this:

II. Generous Givers are Imitators of God

Take a look at the statements which Paul makes about God in verses 8-11 of our text.  The picture Paul paints for us here is that of a GENEROUS GOD.  The God whom we serve pours out his blessings in lavish abundance.  He is, Paul says in Ephesians 3:30, the God who “is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask and imagine.”

Our God gives and, in engaging in the act of giving, we become like him.  Paul even goes so far in our text as to use a word for “giving” which literally means “blessing.”  Just as God blesses us with the Spirit, Jesus Christ, the Bible, the clothes on our bodies and the food on our table – so we, when we give, “bless” others as well.

Now, we might want to say: “Well, God can afford to give, after all, he owns everything anyway – my resources are somewhat more limited.”  Actually, however, that isn’t true.  You see, through faith in Christ, you and I are members of God’s family which means that everything that belongs to our Father belongs to us.  We can draw from God’s limitless storehouse and never deplete our resources.

The New English Bible gets at this idea when it translates verses 8 & 10 this way: “you will have ample means in yourselves to meet each and every situation, with enough to spare for every good cause… And you will always be rich enough to be generous.”

In giving, we not only have access to God’s limitless riches, we also join him in pursuing his purposes.  Scott Hafemann, in his commentary on 2 Corinthians, says this: “That God is the giver of everything is the foundation of our giving to others.  The key to generosity is not caring less about what we have in the world, but caring more about God’s purposes in granting his gifts to us.”

God knows he has what he has so that he might bless others and fulfill his perfect purposes in their lives – generous givers have the same, divine, knowledge.  In giving, we pursue God’s good and perfect will.

When it comes to giving, then, we must realize that we give because God gives, out of the same limitless supply.  And we give in order that we might “bless” others as part of God’s master plan.

And so, stewards plan ahead and they are imitators of God.

The third thing Paul tells us about Generous Givers is:

III. Generous Givers Trust God

In the past when I’ve read Paul’s words in verse seven about a man (or woman) giving that which they have “decided in their heart to give,” – I’ve seen this as a directive that each of us has to decide on our own what we’re going to give.  As I’ve done my research this past week, however, I have a little different view of this verse.

You see, the important thing in this verse is not the amount a person decides to give.  Rather, the important thing in this verse is the decision itself – the determination to give.

Think about it from an objective point of view: Does it make good financial sense to give generously, even lavishly, to the church – to the work of God?  It most certainly does not – especially when things are tight.

Deciding to give, then, is a step of faith, an act in which I declare that I trust God to supply what I need.  Giving involves a decision to place my physical welfare in the hands of God – trusting that he will provide for me and my family better than I could ever do by myself.

Kenneth Chafin, in his commentary on 2 Corinthians, puts the decision to give in wonderful perspective when he writes: “it’s the decision and not the dollar that creates a giver.”

Here’s another great quote from Scott Hafemann in his commentary on 2 Corinthians.  He writes: “Giving to others is simply what trusting in God’s promises looks like.”

The will to give does not arise from a strong bank account and significant liquid assets.  If you are waiting until you are financially stable to start giving, or give what you think you ought to give, you never will be a Generous Giver.  Generous giving begins with the willingness to trust that God will supply my needs, so I am free to be more generous than some might think prudent.

So, make the decision, make it today.  Decide to trust in God rather than counting your pennies.  Decide to give, decide to give generously, and be amazed at the provision of God.  [plan ahead, imitators of God, trust God]

That thought leads me to the last thing Paul tells us about Generous Givers, namely:

IV. Generous Givers Always Receive More

Generous givers always receive more than they give.  In verse 6, Paul makes reference to something we might call “The Law of the Harvest.”  The law of the harvest states that if you sow sparingly – i.e. very little – you will reap sparingly.  In contrast, if you sow generously, you will reap generously.  This is just a law of nature.  The law also dictates that you will reap much more than you sow.  [e.g. tomatoes, zucchini, rhubarb]

So it is with generous giving.  When we give, God will bless us with much more than we have given.  God promises us as much in Malachi 3.  There God is speaking to the Israelites, challenging them to give generously to the work of God in the temple.  Then, he says this in verse 10: “Test me in this… and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

Paul echoes this sentiment in verse 10 when he declares that God “will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.”

Now, it is important for us to hear what Paul says: God will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.  As far as Paul is concerned, God’s blessings come in a variety of forms, physical as well as spiritual.  When we give, God will indeed bless us – he will give us more than we have given.  That does not mean, however, that we will become rich.  This is not “Health and Wealth” theology here which teaches us to give generously so that we might become rich.

When we give generously, God will, in turn, make us rich – but that richness will be spiritual in nature, God will help us grow and become more like Christ.  But, that’s much better than money, isn’t it?  What would you rather have - financial riches which you must manage, guard, and watch over, but eventually lose?  Or would you rather have wealth that lasts forever?

The blessing which God gives us in return for generous giving is also the blessing of satisfaction.  Satisfaction that we are fulfilling God’s will and praising his name.  In verses 11-14 Paul makes it clear that, when we give generously, God is honored for our efforts.  Giving, then, is part of the worship we offer to God.

Only when we give we don’t just worship God by ourselves.  Rather, all those who benefit from our gifts lift their voices in praise as well.  Those who are blessed by our giving rise up and bless the Lord.  People come to know, love, and trust Jesus Christ through the gifts we give.  What greater satisfaction can we have than that?  By our gifts, we affect the eternal destiny of many, many people.

Generous Givers keep that goal of God’s glorification in mind.  It is that goal which motivates us to plan ahead to give, it motivates us to imitate God in blessing others, and it motivates us to trust that – as we fulfill God’s will – he will fill our lives with blessings from his hand.