Sacrificial Summit Prayers of Ascent - Day #4

2 Corinthians 9:6-8
 - “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.

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We are on an ascent up a movement-mountain toward the Sacrificial Summit as a church.  With every step this week, it’s been critical for me to bathe in Scripture and let the words of God move me.  I don’t want to be moved by anything other than the promptings and inklings of His Spirit.  This is what I’m praying for every person in our body coming into this first weekend of sacrificial giving.

The passage above has so many good Touchpoints to inspire our hearts in this season of surrender and sacrifice.  Let me surface several that caught my eye this morning…

#1 – Like anything else in life, you reap what you sow.  When you invest in something, it tends to grow and bear fruit.  That’s a law of nature and investment. 

#2 – You shouldn’t talk your heart out of what God is purposing it to do.  I believe if we listen to our heart, it’s telling us what to give.  Will we listen? 

#3 – When we listen to our hearts and follow God’s nudge, we won’t give with grudge.  When God moves us, it’s compelling not compulsive.

#4 – God loves a cheerful giver.  That is to say, God finds great delight in our delightful generosity.  No one likes to take a gift from someone who is grimacing as they give it.

#5 – We must trust that as we sow our gifts cheerfully, we will reap abounding grace, sufficient provision, and overflowing abundance.  Abounding abundance.  It doesn’t sound like God is trying to rip us off…as we entrust our finances to Him, we can trust him to take care of us.

I know what it is to sow into something, to go all in as it relates to sports, a hobby, my job, my family, etc.  When I sow sacrificially into something, I watch that area of my life grow and bear fruit.  I wonder what would happen if we collectively sowed into God’s kingdom and trusted God to care for our needs?  He says he is an abounding God who gives abundantly to those who entrust and invest themselves.  I wonder all that we forfeit when we hold onto the seed instead of sowing it?

My prayer is that we live out this verse in the coming days and years.  I can’t imagine what the returns could be on our investment!

“God, we want to sow into your kingdom work.  Speak into our spirits and give us the ears to hear what you’ve purposed in our hearts for us to give.   Don’t let us talk ourselves into something or let anyone else talk us into something…we want our hearts to talk us into something as you talk to our hearts…and may we have the bravery to not talk ourselves out of what you’ve placed on our hearts to give.  Give us courage, Lord.  As this passages promises…Give us Grace.  Be our Sufficiency.  Care for us Abundantly.  We entrust our money to you…because we trust You.”