⁸And 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; ⁹as it is written, “He scattered abroad, he gave to the poor, His righteousness endures forever.” ¹⁰Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; ¹¹you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God

God is the supplier of all grace; that truth is the prime source and motivator for Christian giving. Reinvestment of grace is the operative principle. With the grace God gives, we turn around and channel that grace to others, and then the Owner of all things gives us more grace to invest. What He gives is sufficient and the result, is abundance of good deeds.

Here’s how it works. The material and financial blessings we have all belong to God; we possess them simply by His grace. Remember the context of this passage is the benevolence project Paul is promoting among the churches he planted, to help the needy in Jerusalem. The difficulties of life in Jerusalem could easily happen anywhere, as history shows. My health could be removed at any time, my financial security could be lost due to forces beyond my control, or tragedy could strike at any moment. My ability to think, my skills to work, the fortunes of my birthplace and family largely affect my current well-being. Yes, all blessings that we have come by God’s grace.

But God created us and graced us “so that … [we] may have an abundance for every good deed” (see Eph. 2:10). His grace is not given primarily for our selfish benefit but for our use in blessing others with God’s grace. Paul, to make his point, quotes from a psalm that begins, “Praise the Lord! How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments” (Ps. 112:1). That kind of person, using the farming metaphor, scatters widely, giving to the poor. He recognizes the abundance of what he has and uses it to help others. That is what a righteous person does.

Just like the story of feeding the multitude—when, as Jesus gave out fish and bread, more appeared—so also when we believers in Christ are generous, the Lord gives us more to be generous with. In other words, when we are good stewards of the things the Lord has given us for the good of others and not just for ourselves, then the Lord blesses us with more to use for others.

The enrichment promised is not a satisfaction of sinful greed (vs. 10–11) but a greater responsibility because of faithful stewardship, and the knowledge that our actions result in others giving greater thanksgiving to God!

Lord, thank You for those who have invested in my life to Your glory.