Giving: An act of love
I am not laying down any rules. But by showing how eager others are to help, I am trying to find out how real your own love is. You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; rich as he was, he made himself poor for your sake, in order to make you rich by means of his poverty. (verses 8,9)
Read 2 Corinthians 8:1-15
The New Testament often highlights the generosity of people who don’t seem in a position to be generous: the widow and her two small coins; the members of the post-Pentecost church many of whom were not wealthy; the church in Antioch; and now the church in Macedonia. In all cases, their generosity seems to follow gratitude for God’s grace, and it shows their trust in the continuation of God’s own generosity.
Paul makes it clear that the matter of Christian giving does not put Christians back under the law. He highlights how gracious God has been to us. He then shows that generous Christian giving is an act of love: love for God and love for other needy human beings. It is also a response to love, to all the loving and undeserved things God has done for us.
And so we are challenged to examine our giving. Not in terms of whether we have obeyed the rules, but rather in terms of how much my giving reflects all that God has done for me and how much I want to thank and praise him for it. ‘
In a time when churches and welfare agencies are struggling to meet needs, the ball is in our court.
Lord, you have given me so much. Open my heart so that I may give in love and may love to give. Amen.
by Robert Turnbull, in ‘Renewed Hope for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2000)
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