Generosity can be a demonstration of God’s love for one another in times of need. Let us look to help our brothers and sisters in Christ as they have need. Sometimes it may be challenging as we may not be in a state of abundance ourselves, but nonetheless, we have such opportunities to demonstrate our love to one another.
It is certainly good to also support non-believers and show love to them as well, but we must be aware of how we engage and steward. With believers, there is a need and they look to help others back in time when they can. They do not take more than they need, thus taking advantage of those who provide help. They help steward well the resources. With non-believers, there can oftentimes be a one-way consumption of resources. People willingly and greedily take more than they need and in turn refuse to help others when the situation is reversed. Unchecked, it can suck the resources out of the community of believers and limit the sustainable ability of the community to help one another.
Great Generosity
1Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, 2that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. 3For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, 4begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, 5and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. 6So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well.
7But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also. 8I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also. 9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. 10I give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it. 11But now finish doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability. 12For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. 13For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality— 14at this present time your abundance being a supply for their need, so that their abundance also may become a supply for your need, that there may be equality; 15as it is written, “HE WHO gathered MUCH DID NOT HAVE TOO MUCH, AND HE WHO gathered LITTLE HAD NO LACK.”
16But thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus. 17For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord. 18We have sent along with him the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches; 19and not only this, but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our readiness, 20taking precaution so that no one will discredit us in our administration of this generous gift; 21for we have regard for what is honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. 22We have sent with them our brother, whom we have often tested and found diligent in many things, but now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you. 23As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brethren, they are messengers of the churches, a glory to Christ. 24Therefore openly before the churches, show them the proof of your love and of our reason for boasting about you.
Let us recognize that it is good to show love to believers and non believers alike through demonstrating generosity in times of their need. Let us be good stewards so that we can provide the most sustainable help to the most people that we can with the resources we have at our disposal. Challenge ourselves to give even when we may not feel as if we are in a state of abundance ourselves. Pray in all such circumstances for God to guide His people and bless their efforts to show His love.
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