TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
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 through his poverty might become rich.
Read the entire passage: 2 Corinthians 8:9–15
TODAY’S MESSAGE
In today’s passage, Paul is trying to motivate a stingy church to give to a famine relief offering. We might suspect that Paul would use guilt and shame to coerce the Corinthian church to give—but he doesn’t. In today’s verse, Paul appeals to the grace of God as a motivator for generosity. A normal and natural response to God’s generosity and grace should cause us to want to be people of generosity. Generosity becomes part of our DNA once someone experiences and knows the grace of God.
To be generous is to mimic the God in whose image we are made. God sent his son, Jesus, and the numerous material gifts we enjoy. We are reflecting the heart of our Creator when we learn to give generously and cheerfully. Cheerful giving is intentional, sacrificial and meets someone else’s need. To give cheerfully is to transform from being “me focused” to “others focused.” A genuine follower of Christ learns that we “get to give” rather than giving out of obligation.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Today, offer God a prayer of gratitude for the gifts of grace, forgiveness and rescue. Take a few moments to ask him to create or re-ignite a generous heart that looks for opportunities to give cheerfully.
