2 Corinthians
8:7 (NLT)
7 Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers,
your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us—I want you to excel also
in this gracious act of giving.
If we are asked what we would like to improve in our Christian
walk, we would likely say things like knowing the Word of God better, more loving
to our neighbor, being more faithful in our lives, knowing how to talk about
our faith more effectively, etc.
But, the word of God adds one that might not be as high on the list in our
minds: God wants us to grow in our generosity.
The context of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians specifically
Chapter 8 is “The Corinthians are challenged
to Excel in Giving”. He said that “since you already” excel in faith,
in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love. – reminding them that they have been enriched
in every way —with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge (1 Cor. 1:5) -Then, he adds this: “See
that you also excel in this grace of
giving.” He says, right along with all these big Christian virtues like
love, faith and knowledge that we need to be pursuing this grace of giving. And
that’s not just pursuing on the side; but excelling.
What do you think of when you think of someone excelling? In
whatever ways we have been gifted to be generous, whether with our time, our
talents, or our treasure, God wants excellence in how we give those away. Don’t
be mistaken; God doesn’t love you better because you give generously. But,
because God has loved us so much, we can now go forth and live generously.
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