II Corinthians 9: 6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written,

“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
    his righteousness endures forever.”

As we saw on Friday, true faith is reflected in generosity.  Paul begins the chapter by reminding this church that he and others are coming that way to pick up their collection to take to Jerusalem and the struggling saints there.  He would hate for them to arrive only to find they had not kept their promise and had their offering ready.  Why might Paul think that? A lot of the problems at Corinth were due to selfishness and a lack of understanding how God works.  Paul goes on to develop the picture of sowing more fully: giving is investing, not squandering. It marks an understanding of the Gospel. God sent His Son as an investment; He gave His life to reap of reward of many saints.  Can you connect the dots between giving and the Gospel?