In 2 Corinthians 8:7 Paul wrote to the Corinthian church -
“But just as you excel in everything…
see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”
In his small book The Grace of Giving, John Stott considered and applied Paul’s instruction to us. His teaching from 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 is summarized in these 10 principles:
Christian giving…
- is an expression of the grace of God
- can be a charisma, that is a gift of the Spirit
- is inspired by the cross of Christ
- is proportionate giving
- contributes to equality
- must be carefully supervised
- can be stimulated by a little friendly competition
- resembles a harvest
- has symbolic significance
- promotes thanksgiving to God
As we think about the things we want to excel in together – there are many challenges ahead of us. Encouraging each other to excel in the grace of giving, needs to also appear on our to-do-list.
Michael