Instruction
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:1-9, 13-15
Paul has been writing a message of restoration to the
Corinthians. Now he turns to the topic of Christian living. There had been a
famine in Jerusalem, and he was gathering an offering to support the fellow
believers in their time of need. His purpose in this part of the letter is to
urge the Corinthian believers to be sacrificially generous, pointing to the
generous grace they had received through Jesus’ sacrifice as the model of
giving.
Teaching
Paul’s teaching on generosity was both bold and rooted in
grace. It was bold in the sense that he did not shy away from telling the
Corinthians what he was looking for. He hoped to see sacrificial generosity. He
commended the Macedonians, the Corinthians’ neighbors to the north, for how
they gave. He stated flat out that this was a mark of genuine love, and urged
them to grow in this aspect of the life of faith even as they excelled in other
areas.
He also referred to giving as an act of grace. Paul places
the Corinthians’ giving in line with the grace that was given to them by Jesus.
Jesus became poor and gave up everything, even his life, because of his love
for his people. He gave the most generous gift possible in order to make his
people rich – not monetarily, but with his love and forgiveness. In a similar
way, the believer’s giving of self, money, time, etc. is motivated by what Jesus
has given her and flows from his grace.
Life
How does this reading make you feel about your giving?
Volunteering? Helping? Care for others? The standard it sets for us is very
high. It is an important area of our life in Christ that deserves careful
attention. Our material blessings are not meant only for our comfort, but also
to support ministry, help the poor, and care for the oppressed.
But giving is also referred to as an act of grace. This is
something we do because we’ve experienced Jesus’ forgiveness in our lives.
Giving is a matter of perspective when we perceive and believe how richly God
has blessed us with gifts like forgiveness and everlasting life, and at what
cost. It is also an imitation of God’s generosity when we give and a behavior
that is Christ-like.
Look for an opportunity to give generously and
sacrificially. See how it feels to give as Jesus gave to us.
Prayer
The theme of this
prayer is Confession.
Lord God, Heavenly Father, I confess that this idea of
giving sacrificially and generously makes me a little uncomfortable. Often I
view my earthly goods as the fruit of my labor for the benefit of my comfort.
Please forgive me for not seeing the bigger picture of how you have blessed me
and how you use my blessings to protect, provide for, and love others. Forgive
me for the times that I have wrestled with generous giving and come up wanting.
Cleanse my heart of the fear of earthly lack, the doubts that question your
gracious provision, and the hold that earthly goods have on me. Change my heart
and forgive me for being stingy with your grace as well. In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen.
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