II Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
Givers are Grateful
Do you think you would be more inclined to give if you had $5,000, $500,000, or $5,000,000? Most of us think that our giving is a reflection of how much we have, but that is not the case. Our giving is a reflection of how much gratitude we possess.
In II Corinthians 9, God is encouraging us to be givers, specifically to the needy saints elsewhere. Paul famously says that we are to give, “every man as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”
The rest of this chapter is about our giving, but it is not so much about our giving to others as it is about God’s giving through us. Verse 15 says, “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” In other words, nothing I can give to anyone else will be anywhere close to what God has given me through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Second Corinthians 8:9 reminds us, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” When you think of all that God has given you, it ought to produce gratitude in your hearts. The question is, “How is that gratitude expressed?” It is expressed, in part, through our giving. God gives to us; God gives through us.
I am not just grateful for what I have been given; I give because I am grateful. Referring to God, verse 9 says, “He hath given,” and verse 10 says, “Now he that ministereth.” The Bible tells us that we are “enriched in every thing…which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.”
Now why would anyone thank God when I am the one who gave them something? It is because I am just a vessel through which God has given. God gave to me; I give to others. God gives through me. Verse 12 says, “Many thanksgivings unto God.” Verse 13 says, “They glorify God.” Verse 14 says, “The exceeding grace of God in you.”
Today, your giving is not a reflection of how much you have. It is a reflection of how grateful you are.