« Stewardship Devotional
Day Nine - The Motive
2 Corinthians 8:8,9 “I want to test the sincerity of your love. For 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.”
Read
2 Corinthians 8:1-15
Apply
In one of the first recorded church fundraising letters in history, Paul appeal to one single motive for giving: the grace of Christ. Christians don’t give because they should (although they do) or because it frees their life from the idolatry of Mammon (although it does).
Christians give because they know that God gave everything, even his own Son Jesus Christ, for their sakes. Grace is the motivation for giving. Giving is a response to a gift of sheer grace. Just as those who are forgiven much also forgive, those who have been given much (peace with God, eternal life, the love of Christ, the indwelling Spirit, and more) give in return.
The Macedonians understood that grace so much that even in the midst of their own difficult circumstances they happily gave beyond their ability (8:1-4). They begged to give more.
- Do you beg God to be able to give more than you do now? What is your goal?
- What typically motivates your giving? Guilt, duty, expectation of God’s blessing or thankfulness?
Pray
Pray for a renewed lifestyle that places a priority on giving.
Do
Give away some cash (not a check) this week simply because you love Jesus. Don’t let anyone know about it or claim it on your taxes.
Copyright 1997. Redeemer Presbyterian Church of New York City