In Corinthians 9:6-15, the Apostle Paul talks about the attitude of giving and the blessings that come to us when we give with the right spirit. I love what Warren Wiersbe has to say based on verses 7-8, “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”
Here is what Dr. Wiersbe has to say about these verses, “The Christian motive in giving (or in any other activity), is vitally important. Our giving must come from the heart, and the motive in the heart must please God. We must not be “sad givers” who give reluctantly, or “mad givers” who give in response to pressure, but we should be “glad givers” who cheerfully share what we have because we have experienced the grace of God.”
What a great way of talking about Christians and our giving. In Proverbs 22:9 we read, “He who has a generous eye will be blessed.” I praise God that we have many people in Jubilee who are “glad givers” and have “generous eyes.” You will be blessed by God.
I want to take us in a different direction for a few moments. Due to the Pandemic, people have been dealing with a lot of insecurity and uncertainty. People have lost loved ones, also homes, health and have faced discouragement and depression. In 2 Corinthians 1:8, Paul talks about the impact on them due to the troubles they were facing, and he wrote, “For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers of our trouble which came to us in Asia; that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.” Can you identify with Paul?
The Christian life has never been easy. Today, all over the world, Christians are being imprisoned or even martyred for their faith. Right here in our beloved USA, opposition to the Christian faith is mounting daily. How will we handle it? The Apostle Paul faced unbelievable pressures but he declared, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13).
One of Satan’s most effective strategies is the use of pressure to wear us down and wear us out. But we have the all-sufficiency of our triune
God. We have the Father above us, the Son beside us, and the Holy Spirit within us. Now I’ll take us back to 2 Corinthians 9:8 where Paul reminds us, “God is able to make ALL GRACE abound toward you, that you ALWAYS having ALL-SUFFICIENCY in ALL THINGS may abound to every good work.”
I want to close with this story. On the desk of a busy London editor, there stood a small clump of lavender. It had been sent to him, along with a cheery letter by a poor and nearly blind lady living alone in a Northampton Shire village. The office stuffiness was offset by the fragrance of the lavender. There was a little note attached to one of the branches that read, “Pressure brings out the perfume.”
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ – let us never forget that along with the pressure from our adversary, the devil, we have the ALL-SUFFICIENT GRACE of our Advocate, Jesus Christ. As we yield to Him, He will bring out a wonderful, pleasing fragrance from our lives.
God bless you as you stand in the gap for Him.
Pastor Leonard
