So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have.
2 Corinthians 8:11
Generous giving is a hallmark of Christian maturity. If you are a follower of Jesus, you are called to give of yourself like your Master Who gave everything. You not only want to give… your heart leads you to choices that make generosity a priority. This individual heart for generosity, when magnified within local churches, keeps the gospel moving forward and helps ensure there is no need among us.
Paul taught generous giving and modeled it. The Corinthian church had been part of his regular collection of funds for the relief of the persecuted church in Judea that had also been struck with famine. Paul made sure that the blessings of resources in the Gentile churches could be devoted to the Lord so that the Jewish churches could bear up under suffering the hardship of losing livelihoods and lives for the sake of their testimony of Jesus Christ.
The same reality drives Christian ministry forward now. The need for the gospel to go where it is unheard is still great. There are many places still on this globe where Christianity is persecuted. There is still extreme poverty, disease, and famine. The Church of Jesus should be the place where a generous Jesus motivates us to give like Him… to reject materialistic selfishness… to be a place where an overflow of God’s blessing can accompany the preaching of the good news that Jesus is Lord.
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