“See that you also excel in this grace of giving”
The apostle Paul is so completely in tune with the heart of God. He calls our giving to God and to others a “grace”. It’s a gift to be able to give. Why is it a grace or a gift? When we become givers it is because God has imparted a part of Himself to us, He has recreated part of me into his image. Becoming a giver is becoming like God, like Christ. The most well known passage in all of scripture is about “over the top, beyond the pale” generous giving. .
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 (NIV)
God gave His Son, the Son gave his life. God has set the example for extravagant love and he did so through giving, not out of his excess, but out of the core of His Being. At the core of His Being is the central character of giving.
“You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
Now we understand why Paul wants us to excel in this grace of giving. Why? Because doing so grows us one step closer to Christlikeness.
God is so good to me, I get reminders from God from a site online each day...this was today's.
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