God’s Unspeakable Gift

2 Corinthians 9:15

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

When Paul talks about God’s unspeakable gift, he is talking about God giving the believer the opportunity to give financially. He calls this an unspeakable gift because there are no words to express the greatness of the opportunity God gives to each believer to give. Paul understood nobody can out-give God. Paul understood God always rewards the believer more than what they will give. God could have chosen to directly supply the needs of the church through the riches of Heaven, but God would rather give the believer the opportunity to do this so that He can bless them.

Not only does Paul call the believer’s ability to give to meet the needs of the church an unspeakable gift, but he also calls the ability to give financially to the Lord’s church the grace of God. Grace is God giving us something that we do not deserve. We don't deserve the right to give financially, but God allows us to be part of His work financially by giving. We also don't deserve the right to be blessed by giving financially, but God’s grace allows us to have a part in this unspeakable gift. Because of this unspeakable gift, Paul shows several ways we are to give.

First, we are to give patiently. In verse 6, we are showing that giving is sowing, which means we must be patient to reap the benefits of giving. God does not immediately bless the believer financially because they give, but just like it takes a seed a whole season before reaping the benefits of planting, it also takes a whole season to reap the benefits of our giving. You must be patient for the reaping season when you sow financially in giving to the Lord.

Second, we are to give bountifully. God allows the believer to reap to the degree that they sow. You always reap more than you sow. Therefore, the believer who sows bountifully in giving will reap bountifully. According to Luke 6:38, God’s bountiful return on our giving is far beyond what we gave. You will never be able to out-give God. This grace of giving is God’s way to bless you financially.

Third, we are to give with purpose. God tells us to purpose in our heart to give. You are to purpose to give bountifully. You will never be faithful to giving if you don't purpose to do it in your heart. It should be done purposely because it should be done by faith. Faith is a purposeful act to give beyond your ability, but God’s return will be beyond our ability to comprehend what we gave to Him.

Fourth, we are to give cheerfully. We are commanded not to have the mindset that we have to give out of necessity because God commands us. We are commanded not to have the begrudging attitude that we are giving so that we don't have to face God’s chastening hand. We are to give cheerfully by realizing that God can use our money to finance His work. We are to give cheerfully by realizing that God does not need our money, but His grace allows us to be a part of His ministry. We are to give cheerfully realizing that by giving to the Lord’s work, we are investing our heart in God.

Fifth, we are to give thankfully. It will not be hard to be thankful to God about giving when we see how He has blessed us abundantly. Giving financially is a way to show our thankfulness to God for what He has blessed us with in our lives. If you truly are thankful for what God has done for you in your life, you will find it easy to give financially to help further His cause through the local church.