“But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”
~ 2 Corinthians 8:7
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you give back to God what God has given you? What has God given you? Everything that you have God has given you. God is planet Earth’s banker. God knows the survival needs that every guy, gal and kid has who lives on planet Earth. It is God’s will that a tithe be taken out of the monies that He is allotting to guys, gals and kids who He chose to be His specially elected Christ-followers and to have this tithe distributed among guys, gals and kids who do not have the same kind of money resources to survive. It is God’s divine plan that the guys, gals and kids who are helped through specially money offerings will one day return the favor through contributing special money gifts of their own. 2 Corinthians 8 is a God giving directive that He gave through Paul as He – as God the Spirit, breathed on him the words to He wanted written regarding His giving mandate for all the guys, gals and kids to follow who are in His universal body of Christ-follower guys and gals. The context of Paul’s second letter that he sent to the Christ-follower guys and gals who were living in city of Corinth was the severe distress that was being experienced by Christ-follower guys and gals who were living in the city of Jerusalem, the sacrificial gifts that the Macedonian Christ-followers guys and gals had given for Christ-follower guys and gals who were experiencing horrible suffering in the city of Jerusalem and the sincere personal desire that Paul had that Christ-follower guys and gals who were living in the city of Corinth augment the financial support gifts that they had given to Titus when he visited them the year before to help with the pressing needs that the oppressed Christ-follower guys and gals were going through in the city of Jerusalem. Possibly because of a divisive internal issue in the Corinth community of Christ-follower guys and gals, the giving of special gifts to help the afflicted Christ-follower guys and gals in the city of Jerusalem had apparently stopped. Paul because of this decided to send Titus back to the city of Corinth with this letter to resume collecting money donations from the guys and gals who were in the Corinth Christ-follower community to help the maligned Christ-follower guys and gals who were living in the city of Jerusalem.
Have you ever been dared to do something? Paul goaded or dared the Christ-follower guys and gals who were living in the city of Corinth to give additional money gifts for the survival needs of Christ-follower guys and gals who were living in the city of Jerusalem. Paul in verse 7 challenged the Christ-follower guys and gals who were living in the city of Corinth to step up their giving when he wrote what God – as God the Spirit, breathed on him to write to them, “But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” Paul perceived it a privilege for a Christ-follower to give to another Christ-follower. Paul had witnessed the Macedonian Christ-follower guys and gals giving money donations to help with the survival needs of the Christ-follower guys and gals who were living the city of Jerusalem. Even though Macedonian Christ-follower guys and gals apparently were living in extreme poverty, the Macedonian Christ-follower guys and gals out of overflowing joy gave generously to help with the life survival needs that their Christ-follower bros and sisters urgently needed help with in the city of Jerusalem. The Christ-follower guys and gals who were living the year before in the city of Corinth were the first guys and gals to give a special offering for the needs of the Christ-follower guys and gals who were living in the city of Jerusalem. At the time that Paul wrote and sent this letter to the Christ-follower guys and gals who were living the city of Corinth, the city of Corinth was a very wealthy commercial trade center. The Christ-follower guys and gals who were living in the city of Corinth did not have to give sacrificially; they could afford to give out of their excess. Paul assured the Christ-follower guys and gals who were living the city of Corinth that there was a bro who they really respected – probably Luke but possibly Barnabas, who would be the guy who would take their money gifts to the hurting Christ-follower guys and gals who were living in the city of Jerusalem. Paul wanted to transparently do everything ethically and with integrity.
At times it takes being goaded or dared for a guy, gal or kid to alter his or her view or belief about something. Ramón Saucedo was a student in the first Centro de Capacitación (center of learning) class at the rural, resident Bible education training center in Concepción, Nuflo de Chávez in Bolivia. Raúl Pedraza was also in the first class. Ramón and Raúl were the two best students in the first class at the rural, resident Bible education training center that your grandmaa and grandpaa implemented and administrated in Concepción. Raúl was not only a very good student; Raúl was also a hard worker during the daily, required three hour work period. Ramón was also a good student but not a hard worker. Your grandpaa one day had Ramón ask him – after your grandpaa had figured out how each one of the Centro de Capacitación students was doing in the modules, if he was a better student than Raúl. After your grandpaa told Ramón that his grade average was the best grade average among all the students, your grandpaa told Ramón that he may be the smartest student but that Raúl was a lot harder worker than what he was. After your grandpaa told Ramón how lazy that he was during the work time, Ramón became one of the hardest workers during the daily, required work time. Paul ended his giving diktat to the Christ-follower guys and gals who were living in the city of Corinth by telling them that he wanted them to be examples through their gifts to other guys and gals.
2 Corinthians 8 (867)