“He who gathered much had not too much, and he who gathered little had not too little. 2 Cor 8:15
The Pauline Epistles: their meaning and Message….James Hudson Translation
This is a beautiful picture of the beginning stages of a divine prosperity isn’t it. The fellow who had gathered much still had his needs met, nothing more. The one who gathered little had his needs met, nothing less. Given, it’s an elementary lesson, taught seemingly to a group of believers who were being given an opportunity and just learning how to be graced as givers but as with all elementary lessons, it needs to be learned and relearned.
Perhaps the largest lesson in this verse is that it isn’t the abundance that meets your need. The need is met in the abundant God who, knowing your need, makes a way.
But with his way-making, at this stage at least, he wants us to remember that excess can turn our heads and seduce our confidence away from him and towards the abundance itself. That’s never a good outcome.
You’d all agree with me that it takes a lifetime to mature, even though when young and immature we tend to think we know more than…well, what we actually know. Thank God for his patience!
Having been a Christian for nearly 50 years, I’ve seen some things. Some things that looked good to only realise later were shallow and often had a later painful payment plan.
Those too, are learning experiences and not to be confused with being bad hearted, wilful or even presumptuous. The funny thing about ignorance is that it looks almost exactly like it’s incorrigible brother presumption but really isn’t the same fellow. Now, Presumption can corrupt Ignorance if the simple fellow isn’t paying attention but if he keeps his heart right, and he almost always does, then one day he breaks fellowship with Presumption and moves on up into greater intimacy and knowledge with God.
I’ve seen some things personally, I’ve experienced some times culturally; church culturally, that looking back with today’s eyes, and thinking with my now mind, I’m embarrassed that I could’ve thought myself as understanding and yet been so clueless.
One thing prevalent in my part of the church,45 years or so ago, was the idea that as one served God, if he saw an opportunity and created a need, God would fill it. And, sometimes he did and sometimes he didn’t. It was hard to sort the algorithm, to be frank.
Looking at this script this morning I, as my older more experienced self, see once again that the miracle working God does meet my needs, regardless of their size. He does want me to prosper, assuming I keep my eyes on him and not my excess provision and the beginning lesson is that he draws the line for what is both too much and too little.
Even if I see an opportunity for service, I have to wait on divine endorsement before I start digging the hole. Over the years, I’ve heard the Lord say ‘you can have that if you want it.’ I’ve had friends say the Lord said the same to them about buildings and large projects, but if you’ll notice- that’s not quite the same thing as saying ‘I want you to have or do that.’
Those things he invariably pays for. Sometimes upfront, ongoing or even at the last minute. The first category, he’s always helped with, but sometimes they required more angst and suffering; more explanations, as we waited. I’ve learned to carefully handle his exact phrasing and NOT, at least try NOT, to add my own interpretations.
Spiritual growth is a wonderful thing, especially those glimpses we catch in ourselves, but it comes with it’s own price tag. It requires the ability to say to yourself, of yourself, ‘that was then, this is now’ and continue to move forward.