Text:
2 Corinthians 8:5 (KJV)
5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.
Observation:
The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians gives the readers an example to follow when it comes to giving. He recalls the Macedonian believers telling of how they excelled in giving. He highlighted how they first gave themselves to the Lord. This is of first importance.
Romans 12:1 (KJV)
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
What is your status? Have you given yourself fully to the Lord? Are you a cheerful giver? Notice that law commands; Paul did not command them to give. Rather, giving is a grace, and it is consensual, and it gives joyfully,
2 Corinthians 8:8-9 (NLT)
8 I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches.
9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
If you are a believer, it is because you are the recipient of the amazing grace of God; it's a love gift. The old saying is true, "You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving".
John 3:16 (KJV)
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Ephesians 2:8 (KJV)
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
You are never more pleasing in the eyes of God than when you follow His example of loving and giving to others.
Hebrews 13:16 (HCSB)
16 Don't neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.
Prayer:
Father, hallowed be Your name. Father, draw us closer to You by the office work of the Holy Spirit. Father, transform our hearts until we are willing to surrender our all to You.
Father, may the love that You have poured into our hearts be a river of love and giving that flows out of us, and into the lives of others. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:
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