July 15, 2022 – Friday
2 Corinthians 8:1 NIV
1 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.
Comments
This is going to be a bit of a surprise for many I think, the use of the word grace above. It is still God’s favor, His unmerited favor, but in a way you may have never thought of it before. Let’s look at the verse in context, 1 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the [favor of the] privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. The inserted [favor of the] is found in many translations of verse four.
The Macedonian churches were given grace by God so they could give help other Christians! MacLaren’s Expositions writes, We note first the designation of the Macedonian Christians’ beneficence as ‘a grace’ given by God to them. It is twice called so {vers. 1, 4}, and the same name is applied in regard to the Corinthians’ giving {vers. 6, 7}. That is the right way to look at money contributions. The opportunity to give then, and the inclination to do so, are God’s gifts. How many of us think that calls for service or money are troublesome obligations, to be got out of as easily as possible! A true Christian will be thankful, as for a love token from God, for every occasion of giving to Him. And beneficence has the following synonyms: generosity, kindness, and magnanimity. I like how MacLaren said this, The opportunity to give then, and the inclination to do so, are God’s gifts. When is the last time any of us looked at a pull on our heart or our soul to give as an inclination given to us by God?
MacLaren also mentioned verses six and seven, so here they are: 6 So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 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. This act of giving that we do may be looked upon not only as a gift from God, according to Paul this grace of giving. MacLaren goes on to ask the question many of us will likely find uncomfortable, It would be a sharp test for many of us to ask ourselves whether we can say, ‘To me . . . is this grace given,’ that I should part with my money for Christ’s sake. This is especially true for me when I consider the condition of the Macedonians who from verse two were in the midst in a very severe trial and experiencing extreme poverty while still giving generously.
Upon reading this I do not wish for you to be ‘giving until it hurts’ and then some more without using common sense. The Macedonians knew Paul and those with him and knew the need was real. Give all you want, all you can if you wish, but make sure the need is real. Whenever someone wants to give for the first time or to ‘repay a favor’ and asks me where I would suggest I have a standard answer. It is for clean water through Feed the Hungry. Clean water is like a gift from God for many people. This was driven home to me when I watched the movie Queen of Katwe and saw how water was obtained. We are so rich we take our clean water for granted. No, our clean water is also a gift from God that we use so often we give it little or no thought.
Bottom Line: Let us use the gift of grace in our giving to address real needs as well as for the pleasure of giving knowing the pleasure comes from God’s favor.
Prayer: Almighty God, Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your favor in so many areas of our lives. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
in Beavercreek