2 Corinthians 7 & 8 -- Grace Giving

WOW!  My commentary did an incredible job discussing chapter 8, calling it all about grace giving.  Some of the highlights:

 

·         When a church is not spiritual, it is not generous.

·         The motivation for giving must be from the grace of God in the heart.

·         When you have experienced the grace of God in your life, you will not use difficult circumstances as an excuse for not giving.

·         Grace giving means giving in spite of circumstances.

·         It is possible to give generously but not give enthusiastically.

·         Their giving was voluntary and spontaneous.  It was of grace, not pressure.

·         Grace not only frees us from our sins, but it frees us from ourselves.  The grace of God will open your heart and your hand.

·         God sees the “heart gift” and not the “hand gift”.  If the heart wanted to give more, but was unable to do so, God sees it and records it accordingly.  But if the hand gives more than the heart wants to give, God records what is in the heart, no matter how big the offering in the hand might be.

·         God sees, not the portion, but the proportion.  If we could have given more, and did not, God notes it.  If we wanted to give more, and could not, God also notes that.

 

Father, help me to remember how freely Jesus gave His blood for me on the cross, and help me to use the remembrance of that grace when You give me opportunities to give to others.

 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford