2 Corinthians 9 -- More On Grace Giving

Loved these additional thoughts from my commentary today:

 

·         Your giving will provoke others to give.

·         In grace giving, our motive is not to get something, but receiving God’s blessing is one of the fringe benefits.

·         If we cannot give joyfully, then we must open our hearts to the Lord and ask Him to grant us grace.

·         Certainly God can bless a gift that is given out of a sense of duty, but God cannot bless the giver unless his heart is right.

·         The Christian who practices grace giving will always have what he needs when he needs it.

·         Everything we have – not just our income – belongs to God, is given to God, and is used by God to accomplish His work.

·         Grace never looks for a reason [to give]; it only looks for an opportunity.

·         No amount of evangelistic zeal or worship activity can compensate for lost opportunities in serving others and meeting their practical needs.  There must be a balance of sharing the gospel and meeting practical needs.

·         It is sad when our giving becomes a substitute for our living.  When a Christian practices grace giving, his money is not a substitute for either his concern or his service.  He first gives himself to the Lord and then he gives what he has.  His gift is a symbol, as it were, of the surrender of his heart.

 

Father, our desire to hang on to material blessings and not trust You to provide is something that every Christian struggles to overcome, I think.  Help me not to struggle, but to trust.

 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford