November 30, 2026 -New Testament Giving

2 CORINTHIANS 6:14-10:18

Chronological Bible Readings

^{2 Corinthians 8:12} Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. ¹³ Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. ¹⁴ Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal. ¹⁵ As the Scriptures say,

“Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over,

    and those who gathered only a little had enough.”

When we give it is not about a certain amount of money. It is about us being generous with our money in proportion to what God has given us. If we look at our money like the manna in desert as Paul is referring to in v15, He provides what we need and we should not try to hoard it or hold onto it for longer than He directs. If we have it, we should give it. When our church is in need financially the body should step up and give according to the blessings they have received. If we are holding onto our money like the Israelites who gathered too much manna tried to hold onto it, it will rot and stink everything up. Giving generously shows a trust in the Lord. Trusting in the Lord allows you to give based on what you have not based on your worry about what you don't have. Giving with concern for the money you will need or the things that you need means that you are not putting your trust in God but in the money. The manna not the manna giver.

^{2 Corinthians 9:7} You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” ⁸ And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. ⁹ As the Scriptures say,

“They share freely and give generously to the poor.

    Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”

If you trust that the Lord will provide for you daily as He did with the manna, then there will be no fear in giving generously. In fact, true trust in the Lord will result in a joyfully generous giving. Trust that He will generously provide all you need and provide plenty for you to share. I do believe that a tithe is a good place to start because some people need a number to get started. Ten percent of your gross income should be where we start not what our goal is to get to. If we give a tithe out of surrender and faith in God He will honor that and provide all we need and more so that we might give more. If every person in the body of Christ lived with this kind of faith there would be no concerns for meeting the needs in the church.