SUNDAY, JANUARY 12TH, 2025.
TOPIC: Giving Grace
MEMORY VERSE: Luke 6:38
[38]Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
FOCUS: Philippians 4:15
[15]Now ye Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.
Your first giving must be to give yourself to the Lord since he has given His all for you. The Macedonia church gave themselves first to the Lord before giving to the ministry of Paul and that made them excel in this giving grace.
2 Corinthians 8:1-7.
God does not need your money, but he does want you to give in love. Jesus Christ gave himself for you, so once you receive God’s gift of grace, you are called to give yourself to God and no one can truly give except he has the giving grace because every man is naturally selfish, but when grace comes, giving flows.
The church of Macedonia wasn’t a rich church but a graced church, which is why even in their abject poverty they could still minister to Apostle Paul as a necessity. May we receive this giving grace.
LESSON: 2 Corinthians 9:6
[6]But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly, and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
The spirit of the grace of giving is not that I have to give but that I get to give. It’s a privilege to give.
So what is the grace of giving? And why do I need this grace of giving? The grace of giving is God’s gift to a humble heart to freely give, so I am empowered to model the way of Jesus, God gives grace to the humble who acknowledge their dependence on him and when you receive this grace you will be empowered to willingly and freely give.
Their generosity flowed from a life freed by grace from the shackles of guilt and greed and even to this day, the followers of Jesus Christ in this Eastern European region beautifully live a legacy of generosity.
You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us, your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God because many will be blessed through you, but if you choose to sow sparingly the result is that your harvest may not be enough to sustain you.
It takes a bountiful giving to have a bountiful harvest.
PERSONAL CONFESSION: I am a giver, not a waster.
PERSONAL PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I praise you for your grace that empowers radical generosity through Christ’s love and in Jesus’ name, amen.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Giving is not just about donating, it is about making a difference
NOTE: True giving from the heart is an expression of love.