{2 Corinthians 8}
by Lisa Thayer
I
have heard that approximately 15% of what Jesus talked about was related to
money.
One
of our first good works that comes from the transformation from the grace of
God is in how we give. How we give is a
joyful response to the grace of God. The
grace of God works in such a way that it produces joy in our lives, and we are
so joyful in our giving that we cannot give enough.
“For it was by grace that
you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the
gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ
Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10
Just
look at verse 2 – they earnestly wanted to give. Imagine if we were to go to church and say, ‘I
cannot wait for the offering.’
These
people knew what sacrificial giving truly meant. They were poor themselves – but they wanted
to help. The point of giving is not so
much the amount we give, but why and how we give. God does not want us to give grudgingly or
out of obligation. He wants us to give
out of our dedication to Christ, love for fellow believers and the joy of
helping those in need. And, it is simply
the right thing to do.
When
we join other Christian believers to do God’s work, we increase Christian unity
and help God’s Kingdom grow. Do you want
your faith to grow or do you believe once it reaches a certain level, you are
done? How about your level of knowledge –
are you satisfied with where you are at, or would you like your knowledge to
grow? Many believers set a limit on
giving - they give a specific percentage, and that’s it. There’s even churches that recommend a set
amount – do your church envelopes have a scale of giving on them? But true discipleship includes growing in the
mature use of ALL resources, so giving should expand as well as faith and
knowledge. God can give you the desire and enable you to increase your capacity
to give. Don’t miss this opportunity to
grow in giving – just ask.
In
verses 10-15, Paul challenges us to act on our plans to give. Here he gives four principles of giving:
- Your willingness to give cheerfully is more important than the amount you give.
- You should strive to fulfill your financial commitments (your household expenses)
- If you give to others in need, they will, in turn help you when you are in need.
- You should give as a response to Christ, not for anything you can get out of it. How you give reflects your devotion to Christ.
I
don’t know about you, but I have found that when I want to give, God gives to
me so that I can give to others.
Lastly,
as I spend time thinking about Jesus leaving His heavenly Kingdom, and coming
to earth, being born in a stinky barn, and being on the run for a few years,
never fully using His eternal power. He
became poor for us. He set aside His glory
and His rights to serve us. To teach us
what serving others looks like. Yet, by
doing so, He makes us ‘rich’ because we receive salvation and eternal
life. Giving IS a sacrifice. I know my
attitude has changed throughout the years.
I spent some time expecting to be served in this life. But eventually my attitude changed and now I
have opportunities to serve others. Every
time I leave a volunteer job, the joy and memories I have do not have a dollar
value. They simply bring me a huge dose
of peaceful joy.
