| “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” |
| —2 Corinthians 9:11 |
Do you ever dream of becoming wealthy? I’m not talking about coveting the wealth of someone you observe. I asking if, in your dreams, you ever experience a scenario where you become wealthy?
I’m not at all certain why this dream of mine persists. But, I quite frequently dream that I somehow come into a very large sum of money—856 million dollars, to be exact. I have no idea where that particular very specific amount originates. I was raised in a very modest circumstance. My family was even quite poor financially. While I have done reasonably well during my adult life, I have certainly not acquired what could be considered even mediocre wealth.
Yet, somehow this dream keeps cropping up. In this dream, with God’s guidance, I give most of this large sum away to organizations and friends who could genuinely use this money for good. I report this not to puff myself up by showing how generous and magnanimous I am, but rather I share this simply to illustrate the way this dream of mine plays out. After all, it is only a dream—in fact, it is certainly a very silly dream.
While we tend to judge wealth in financial terms, as children of God, we actually possess a wealth that extends well beyond any measure that mere money can provide. In writing to the Christians gathered at Corinth, the Apostle Paul made this declaration in 2 Corinthians 9:11:
You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
Did you ever think about the fact that each act of generosity on the part of those who follow Jesus results in a declaration of praise and thanksgiving to God? What Paul writes rings true. And, when he speaks of generosity, Paul is not only talking about giving gifts of cash. He is actually talking about giving of ourselves to help meet the needs of others. In fact, Jesus Himself would agree that it is better to do an act of kindness and generosity as a way to keep Him central in our celebration of His birth, life, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension.
Let’s begin another new day by determining to focus on the things in our lives that really matter. By showing God’s love in every possible way, we will indeed: “be made rich in every way.”
