Generous Grace Giving
“But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in
complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in
this grace of giving.”–2 Corinthians 8:7 (NIV)
If you’re likeme, you can become satisfied by legitimate progress
in certain areas of the Christian life while remaining stubbornly
stagnant in other areas. If Paul were telling Saint Paul’s Baptist
Church that we excelled in the virtues of 2 Cor 8:7a—and we
ardently strive to, we’d probably feel a certain sense of justified
satisfaction. But as important as those qualities are, they’re
incomplete without affecting one of themost important parts of
our lives—our finances.And so, Paul exhorts abundant giving as
both a virtue and an expression of other virtues. His
encouragement for financial generosity as an“act of grace” (v. 6)
is bolstered by at least three motivations (read 2 Cor. 8).
The Grace of God – “The grace that God has given the
Macedonian churches” (v. 1) compelled themto “well up in rich
generosity…even beyond their ability” (vv. 2-3). God’s grace is
powerfully manifest in Saint Paul’s! Will we likewise “well up”
(overflow) in grace-giving? By definition, we can’t earn grace.
But we certainly can respond lavishly to it!
The Church of God – Since compelling examples can stimulate
our imagination, Paul highlighted theMacedonians’ generosity.
After all, “they urgently pleaded…for the privilege of sharing in
this service [of giving] to the saints” (v. 4), despite their “extreme
poverty” (v. 2). Because “they gave themselves first to the Lord”
(v. 5), their “earnestness” is a worthy comparison for “the
sincerity of [our] love” (v. 8). Saint Paul’s has a great opportunity
right now to be like the ancient church, bless the contemporary
church, and build the future church. Will you sacrifice to be a
part of this “privilege of sharing?”
The Son of God – Why else should we abound in giving?
Because someone else did so for us in an even greater way: “For
you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was
rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his
poverty might become rich” (v. 9). Does your giving show your
gratitude to Christ and reflect His image (Rom 8:28-30; Eph
4:11-16; 2 Cor 5:15)?
For Discussion: What prevents people from “excelling in this grace of
giving,” and how does the truth above affect those reasons?
Family Activity: Think of the most generous people you know. Come up
with several questions and conduct a mini-interview with one person to
learn more about being generous.
