And So, I Continue . . . . . .
That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all thy wondrous works. Psalms 26:7 KJV
2 Corinthians 9:11-12 ~ 11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. 12 For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; KJV
I have learned so much this month on "The Grace of Giving" and I pray it has been a blessing to you as well. The verses used today I felt needed a little more clarification for me - so I read the whole chapter again and felt like the previous three verses before our verses today helped me to understand Paul's point in 11-12 a little better. Not trying to change the original thought on giving for today - but to enhance it always.
Read verses 8-10: 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: 9 (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. 10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
It is clear in Paul's letter he wanted the church to know how important the Grace of Giving was. He praised them on their giving to Christ’s fulfillment of the law, which took the curse of death from us and laid the entire burden of man's sin on our Saviour, Jesus. He bore that burden to death, and through His righteous giving, we have access to eternal life. Through Christ’s death and sacrifice rent the veil of the Holy of Holies and we now have direct atonement for our sins and direct access to the throne of God.
When you think about any trouble we may face as Christians, it will be nothing compared to those who are suffering without Christ. If they do not accept Jesus as their Saviour, their suffering will NEVER end. Because Jesus reconciled us to God, we should no longer live to ourselves but for Him. We owe Him everything and ought to be living a holy, blameless life. Because God is holy, we should also strive to be holy. We are His emissaries and His whole ministry was to others, and that is what we need to do - give, help others in His name. Not for our glory - but give all glory to HIM!
So, what was Paul's goal when he wrote this letter? Always teaching and sharing the Gospel. He used a doctrinal teaching in 2 Corinthians on giving that we can learn much from. He spoke of taking a collection from the Corinth Church for the church in Jerusalem. He spoke clearly on the fact that even if we give much and live in poverty, ultimately, we will be eternally rewarded and blessed, now and in the future. He talked about the giving of the Macedonians who were a good model of stewardship. They selflessly gave while having the faith to know that God would meet their needs. He used himself of that fact. Through their giving to Paul, he was able to have a life that he used to share the Gospel, knowing he was cared for relieved his burden of where his next bite of food would come to him. Paul equated giving with grace in this analogy; my husband is always saying, "God’s free gift of grace was unmerited and undeserved, and it was costly to the point of His giving His Own Son Jesus Christ." This is what Paul was saying. Are we willing to give until it hurts? If you do, the rewards are "out of this world". And don't give grudgingly.
When we give in light of how much Jesus loved us, how can we do anything less in our giving back to God. It is truly a great expression of love and appreciation to the Lord for His sacrifice. I can say, "I'm not going to Hell", because Jesus gave HIS all for me. Can you? Paul told the Corinthians that to excel in their giving was an expression of their love for God. Love, like giving, should be in all sincerity and in proportion to what one has been blessed with. The giver should never feel compelled to give but do so with a joy. 2 Corinthians 9:6b ". . .for God loveth a cheerful giver." The more a person gives, the more enriched they become, and the more God is praised. Give abundantly. Give with joy. Give in appreciation for your life in Christ. Give because there are so many that just need a little helping hand. Look for someone today and Just Give.
If you don't know Him, come to Him today!
Linda Milam
Lord, help us to be worthy of your sacrifice, may we be the ultimate and abundant givers, giving from the heart with joy and pray that others might see Jesus in us. Please, save the lost and help us to be wise, studied up, aware, and faithful to You, giving YOU all of our best with an open loving heart for the ministry and people. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment