PROVERBS 11:24-25 – One gives freely yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. 25 Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.
THEME OF THE DAY. THE JOY OF BEING GENEROUS. A lot of things happen in the heart and life of a person who meets Jesus Christ and becomes a Christian. Our Lord calls such an experience “new birth” and it is indeed radical. Our worlds are truly turned upside down. We have new desires, a new worldview, a new destination after death, and a new relationship with God. But that is not all. Two other things happen because of our new life in Christ. We develop a hatred for the thing Christ died for – sin. And we are given a generous heart with a yearning within us to be givers, not takers. These words of Jesus will become very real to us, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Let’s consider two Biblical examples of this experience of being transformed from being self-centered takers in life to self-denying givers in life. The first one is the greatest Christian who ever lived, the Apostle Paul, and the second is the sacrificial churches of Macedonia.
The Apostle Paul knew the Christ that gave His all for Him placed upon him the privilege and responsibility to give all of himself to His people. Paul would give testimony of this to the dear believers in Thessalonica – “So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us (1 Thessalonians 2:8). This is what the love of Christ controlling His people does. It creates a desire and then actions of service, encouragement, and the carrying of one another’s burdens. And oh, what joy comes to the giver, not the taker, in the service of our Lord Jesus.
The second Biblical example of joyful giving is found in the churches of Macedonia. They were poor, literally, yet, we find them giving out of their poverty. Paul writes of them – We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us (2 Corinthians 8:1-5). Notice these dear saints not only gave to help others, but they did so with zeal and great delight. And what does the Apostle Paul say of God’s attitude toward such givers? He loves them – Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). Now the application . . .
Are we striving to be like the Apostle Paul living a life of sacrificial giving of ourselves for the welfare of God’s people? Is there tangible evidence we are following Paul as he followed Christ? We were given much from Christ to give much for Christ.
The second application is our giving for the work of the Gospel and the relief of suffering in God’s people as did the Macedonian believers. We are to be a giving people, not only of ourselves, but also of our resources; time, talent, and money in the work of the Gospel. Freely we have received, freely we are to give. And in the process of being generous givers, the truths of today’s scripture become living realities in our lives.
PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for being so generous to me in so many ways.”
QUOTE: “Christians are givers; freely, sacrificially, and joyfully of their resources and selves; just like Jesus.”