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April 20: Be Generous to Consume? Joshua 4:1–6:27; 2 Corinthians 9:6–15 ; Psalm 48 Our culture encourages us to absorb the latest and greatest, and then cast off our gently used devices. We are targeted to accumulate and consume. The new feature we learned about yesterday is now the one we can’t live without. At first, 2 Corinthians 9 seems to appeal to our consumer lifestyle: “The one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Cor 9:6). This verse has often been used to encourage giving because God will then provide us with even more. But should we give more for the sake of consuming more? Should this be our motivation for generosity? Paul debunks this idea in the next verse: “Each one should give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or from compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:7). Certainly God will provide for those who give; He takes care of those who follow Him. But our willingne...