EXCELLING IN THE GRACE OF GIVING (2)

“My friends, we want you to know that the churches in Macedonia have shown others how kind God is. ²Although they were going through hard times and were very poor, they were glad to give generously. ³They gave as much as they could afford and even more, simply because they wanted to. ⁴They even asked and begged us to let them have the joy of giving their money for God’s people” (2 Corinthians 8:1-4 CEV)

At the very heart of every giving is relationship. Generally people give to those with whom they share one form of relationship or the other. The relationship could be natural, spiritual, or emotional. But the rule of the thumb is that relationship drives giving. You are more likely to give to people you have family ties with than to strangers. Similarly, you are more likely to give to friends than to enemies. You can give to strangers, say victim of war or natural disaster, simply because you feel some degree of spiritual or emotional kinship with them. Thus, Christian giving is always an expression of love.  The depth of sacrifice involved in giving depends on the depth of love one feels towards the beneficiaries of his or her gift. This is true with our giving to fellow human beings as it is with our giving to God. Here then is a very sober truth –what you give towards the support of God’s agenda is in proportion to your love for Him.

Remember the rich young ruler that sought from Jesus the way to inherit eternal life, was confronted with a choice of giving away his wealth to the poor and following Christ (Eternal Life), he rather chose his wealth instead of Christ (Matthew 19:18-22). The implication is all too obvious –he loved his money more than God! Our giving is always a true measure of our love.   Our Lord explained this principle to Simon the Leper when Mary came and emptied a very expensive bottle of perfume on Him saying, “I tell you that her many sins are forgiven, so she showed great love. But the person who is forgiven only a little will love only a little” (Luke 7: 47 NCV). Our Lord is simply saying that we give to the extent we appreciate the love of God for us. In other words, your giving reveals the depth of your understanding of God’s love. The deeper your experience of God’s love, the more you would want to give Him. Love drives giving! Love always loves to give to the beloved.

This is also true even on the side of God. His giving reveals the depth of His love for us. The Apostle John therefore explained, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 NKJV).  The amazing truth of this incredible verse of Scripture almost draws tears down my cheek.  This is simply what it means, that God valued me so much that He considered the sacrifice of His only begotten Son the only thing big enough to purchase me. Economists tell us that the value we place on anything determines how much we are willing to pay to have it. God purchased us with the blood of His Son (Acts 20:28). In giving up Jesus for us, God gave us His all. Paul posed this question for our reflection, “God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won’t he freely give us everything else?” (Romans 8:32 CEV). Our Father gave us, not just His best, but His all. Therefore, He can legitimately demand not only our best gift, but our all. He gave because “He so loved.” We should give back to Him because we love Him. We will never give enough to match God’s love for us, but we must endeavour to give generously.

This was the example the Macedonian believers left for us. “Although they were going through hard times and were very poor, they were glad to give generously” (2 Corinthians 8:2). If ever there was a congregation that should be excused from giving, this was one. The members were generally poor materially and were going through some very difficult times; yet they were glad to give generously to the work of God. They did not give their surplus. They gave out of their need. They gave willingly without any coercion and gave more than they could conveniently afford. In one word, they gave sacrificially! Theirs was such a gift that Paul described as “sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18 NLT). Can we in the CRM Family decide to follow the good example of the Macedonian believers? Unless your giving is a sacrifice on your side, it would fall below the standard set by the Macedonians. Can we learn to give sacrificially and joyfully, not because we have so much but because we love so much? Can we consistently prepare for God a sweet-smelling sacrifice that ravishes His heart? Sure, we can! And we will!  In Jesus name.