FOCUS: GRACE – GIVING: AN ACT OF ENTERING INTO AN ERA OF INEXHAUSTIBLE SUPPLY
TEXTS: II CORITHIANS 8:1-5
INSIGHT FOR EFFECTIVE PRAYERS OF THE DAY
Giving is an act of grace. Giving is a means of getting. Grace Giving simply means the grace of giving.
According to Joe Alain, “Grace-Giving is generous giving, joyful giving, sacrificial giving, voluntary giving and wholehearted giving” Grace-giving is a sure gateway to enjoy unfinishable supplies from heaven. Grace-giving is a major key to financial over flow. Grace-giving is giving in spite of circumstances. Grace-giving is an evidence of love. Love for Christ, love for God’s servants and those who are in needs. W. Alderman writes, “Grace-giving is the highest form of unselfish giving. It is a kind of giving that surrenders the Gift with absolutely no strings attached”. It is a kind of giving that one can give even if the gifts are undeserved. After all, when Christ gave Himself to us, no one of us deserved it. God gave Himself proving that His love is unselfish. Giving requires the same kind of love.
God wants every believer to be a grace giver. The grace giver gives with Jesus and heaven in mind. Grace giver give to God’s work, people projects and programmes joyfully, not reluctantly or under compulsion. It has been observed that the grace-giver continues to give because he has a will to and sees a want (2 Cor. 8:10-15). Truly, the grace givers don’t use difficult circumstances as an excuse for not giving.
Grace-giving makes a believer more like Jesus Christ. This is because to give is to be Christ-like for His whole life was spent in giving. Jesus was the greatest of all givers. He gave everything He had for our deliverance from sin and death.
Those who have experience the grace of God in their lives will know that it is more blessed to give than to receive.
It has been said that “when a Church is not spiritual, it is not generous”. While it is possible for a Church to be generous and not spiritual, it is ironical for a Church to be spiritual and not generous. You must be spiritual and generous.
Until self is conquered, a believer cannot be both generous and spiritual. This is while many so-called Christians are very stingy and reckless tithe defaulters!
How do we know that we are practicing grace giving? The BE commentary NT, Lists the following as evidences of grace giving.
When we give inspite of circumstances (2 Cor. 8:1-2)
When we give enthusiastically, 2 Cor. 8:3-4. It is possible to give generously and not enthusiastically. The Macedonian Christians gave generously without being prompted or reminded as did the Church at Corinth. Their giving was voluntary and spontaneous. It was of grace, not pressure.
III. When you give as Jesus gave (2 Cor. 8:5-9). Jesus is our perfect example in service, sacrifice and suffering. Like Jesus, the Macedonian Christians gave themselves to God and to others. If we give ourselves to God, we will have less problems in giving our substance to Him. It is impossible to love God and ignore the needs of your neighbors. The Macedonian Churches had an abundance of deep poverty (2 Cor. 8:2) and yet, they abound in their liberality. The Corinthian Churches had an abundance of spiritual gifts; yet there were laxity in keeping their promise and sharing in the collection.
When we give willingly (2 Cor. 8:10-12). Grace giving comes from a willing heart .It goes beyond promise to performance. If our giving is motivated by grace, we will give willingly and not because we have been forced to give.
When we give by faith (2 Cor. 8:13-24) Grace giving is a matter of faith. We obey God and believe that He will meet our needs as we meet the needs of others.
LET US PRAY
O Lord, help me to walk in love and live in Dominion every day of my life.
O Lord, make me a grace-giver giving with Jesus and Heaven in mind.
O God, empower me to give to Your work, people projects and programmes joyfully and generously.
Holy Spirit, make me an addicted grace giver – Giving generously, joyfully, sacrificially, voluntarily and whole-heartedly.
It has been said that “when a Church is not spiritual, it is not generous” O Lord make us highly Spiritual and very generous in GOFAMINT.
O Lord, destroy the stronghold of stinginess, tithe defaulting and selfishness among us.
O God, help us and empower us to always give in spite of circumstances around. Help us to give by faith and not by sight.
O God, grant us fresh baptism of Grace-giving.
O Lord, usher us into an era of unfinishable supplies from heaven as we practice grace giving.
O Lord, what do you want me and my family to do in order to move Your works forward in our Church, District, Region and GOFAMINT Worldwide? Give us the enabling grace in Jesus name.
Lord, as we enter into the realm of grace-giving, take us from the valley of not enough to the mountain of abundant supply. Let our cup runs over (John 10:10b).
Personal Prayer points for the day (Ps. 6:9)
Corporate intercessory Prayer for the day: All ministers and members who did not default in tithing in year 2014.
Special Ministration for People that want to become or remain addicted grace givers.
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