Daily Lesson for May 4, 2015

Today's daily lesson comes from 2 Corinthians chapter 8 verses 9 through 11:

9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 10 And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. 11 So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have.

I got hand it to the Apostle Paul -- the man knew how to talk about giving.

We preachers have inherited an Elmer Gantry reputation for being on the take; and that reputation has been solidified by what Will Campbell called the "electronic soul abusers" on TV.  But the truth is most of us -- especially mainline Protestant preachers -- are actually averse to talking about giving. As somebody incisively commented, "They say, 'Money talks,' but in church it only whispers."  Most of us preachers talk far less about money than did either Paul or Jesus.  They neither one were apologetic at all when it came to putting their mouths where other people's money was.

But they were never coercive about it. They never abused the soul with manipulation.  Giving for Paul and Jesus came freely -- a gracious response to God's grace.  The natural outflow of a life poured into.

Take Paul's word today. He begins by speaking of Christ, who "though rich, yet became poor that we might become rich."  The starting point is Christ -- his blessed poverty and in turn our blessed abundance.  Then there is the desire, in small, germinal state when the Corinthians first accepted Christ, now a year later ready to blossom from desire to action.  So giving, according to Paul, begins with Christ's own self-giving and moves us to the place of our own.  Giving is the sure and gracious response to grace working in our lives.

So, here's something I'm reflecting upon now. Paul talks about some sort of desire to give germinating in the hearts of the Corinthians for a full year. It makes me think about something a year ago God laid on my heart to give to somebody.  I don't feel bad about not having done it earlier; I wasn't ready. But I'm about ready now. I'm going to give it and I'm going to give it joyfully.

And I'm going to thank Paul for helping me do it.