2 Corinthians 8:7 “But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you —see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”
How is your giving? Would you consider yourself as one who excels at giving? How is your feeling toward giving? Does the question rub you the wrong way? Are you a little sensitive to any talk or questions about your money?
The apostle Paul needed to raise money for needy believers in Jerusalem, and the appeal had gone out to Corinth, and a commitment had been made. The apostle now is reminding them to be ready to give when he comes to pick up the gift! In our verse to date, he commends them for things they are doing well to the point of saying they are excelling in those things, but he also challenges them to excel in this act of the grace of giving, of being generous.
Are you excelling in the act of giving? I hope you see the importance of giving and that it is a spiritual discipline!
For encouragement to excel at giving consider a couple of examples and one extraordinary example:
The Shunammite family for providing a room for Elisha.
2 Kings 4:8 “Now it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, where there [was] a notable woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food. 9 And she said to her husband, “Look now”, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. 10 “Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there.” 11 And it happened one day that he came there, and he turned into the upper room and lay down there.”
Giving to repair the House of the Lord – placing the financial gifts in the Chest of Joash
2 Chronicles 24:8 Then at the king’s command they made a chest, and set it outside at the gate of the house of the LORD. 9 And they made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the LORD the collection that Moses the servant of God had imposed on Israel in the wilderness. 10 Then all the leaders and all the people rejoiced, brought their contributions, and put them into the chest until all had given. 11 So it was, at that time, when the chest was brought to the king’s official by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, that the king’s scribe and the high priest’s officer came and emptied the chest, and took it and returned it to its place. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance.
The best example ever is none other than Jesus Christ!!
2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”
Continue Strong excelling at generosity,
And remember to DATE the Word