2 Cor. 9:1-15; Psalm 44

2 Cor. 9:1-15
Paul continues his discussion about giving, and he encourages the Corinthians (and us) to be cheerful, willing, and generous in giving. Beginning in v. 6, he likens our giving to a farmer's work. If the farmer plants sparingly, he will get a small crop, but if he plants generously, he will get a generous crop. We must decide what God wants us to do, and then we should do it cheerfully. "God loves a person who gives cheerfully.And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others" v. 8 Just as God provides seed for the farmer which in turn becomes bread to eat, He will provide and increase our resources to produce a great harvest of generosity in us! And think about it...generous people are usually happy and well-adjusted, and we admire them for their generosity. Whereas stingy people seem to have a negative and suspicious and irritable manner about them, and we would really like to avoid them when possible! Think of Scrooge!

Paul goes on to say that our generous giving does two good things, actually three. As he has already said, it's good for us to be generous! Then the recipients of our generosity are helped in that their needs are met, and then they will joyfully thank God. We will be helped; they will be helped; and God will get the glory! Everybody wins! And finally (not that we need anything more!) "they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you. Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!"

Psalm 44
The psalmist begins here by remembering all the victories God has given His people in the past and praising the Lord for them. "O God, we give glory to you all day long and constantly praise your name." vv. 1-8

In vv. 9-22, the writer reveals that God has allowed defeat even though His people have remained faithful. They had not forgotten God nor bowed down to idols. This teaches us that our troubles are not always punishment for sin. Sometimes God allows suffering for reasons we may not understand. Perhaps they are a test of our faith. Let's not fail the test.

Beginning in v. 23, the psalmist reveals that he still trusts the Lord. He cries out to God to help him. Though God may seem to be asleep or rejecting us or looking the other way, remember that He is still in control. We must still believe in God's power to work and in His unfailing love for us. Maybe we are like little children who are heart-broken when a parent has to make decisions that are painful for the moment. But the parent, in this case our Heavenly Parent, sees the big picture. He loves us, and He knows what's best for us. Our job is to trust Him. If we follow this psalmists example, we will remember all that God has done in the past, we will praise Him, and we will trust Him for the present and the future.