FBCD_FaithEssentials_June_FlipBook

Todd Gaddis

experience, as I had never done anything like that before. Looking back, I see that it was just as if we were feeding Jesus Himself. Think of the offering plate as the hand of God the next time it passes your way. Consider that unfortunate person seeking your help as Christ in the flesh. Those Corinthians were a talented and capable bunch of Christians. As Paul records, they abounded “In faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you” (2 Corinthians 8:7). With that in mind, he challenged them to excel in their giving as well. The potential of the First century church pales in comparison to what believers today could do if only they could overcome the misconceptions just discussed and embrace kingdom generosity, the model for such a challenge being Jesus Christ Himself. As Paul writes, “Though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Jesus sacrificed the bliss of heaven by coming to this sin-soaked world in human form. And He didn’t stop there. He went on to suffer a humiliating death on a cross between two thieves so that we could share in the riches of His grace. What greater motivation for giving could there be? David Young tells a story about picking blackberries as he grew up on a farm. With scratched arms and torn pants, he would proudly present his mother with a bucket of his succulent harvest exclaiming, “These are for you.” His mom took his generous offering with a smile. She’d wash the berries and then give them back to her son in a bowl with sugar and cream. God responds to our offerings to Him in much the same way. Whether they be our resources or our very lives, He returns them richer, sweeter and better than they were before.

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