II Cor. 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
Paul continues writing to the Corinthians about their commitment to give a gift to the Christians in Jerusalem. The principle was and still is: Whoever sows sparingly reaps sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Giving should be at the heart of every believer whether it is money (as in this example), time, labor, provisions, clothing, etc. However, the decision to give comes from the heart and not be mandated by the church.
In Chap. 9, Paul mentioned the Macedonians who gave out of their extreme poverty and let it flow into a wealth of generosity. How does a believer get a heart like this? How does one give even when they have nothing to spare? What keeps one from grasping so tightly what little or even how much they have? The answer is: And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. It is all of grace! The Macedonians had experienced that great grace and had let it control their lives. It mattered not to them that they had next to nothing, but what mattered to them was that God could supply all they needed, and that freed them up to abound in good works. They had crossed over from personal management of their resources to God's managing of their resources. The end result was a harvest of righteousness! You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For this ministry doesn't merely meet needs, but it resounds in thanksgiving to God by the giver and the receiver. Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift! What grace is this! How wonderfully grace knits believers together!
Father,
Give me a heart of generosity and giving. Teach me to live abounding in Your great grace. Thank You for this great inexpressible gift!
In His name,
Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment