Receive the grace of offering
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Receive grace (2 Corinthians 8:1-15)
We make known to you, brethren, the grace that God has bestowed upon the churches of Macedonia, that in the midst of many trials of tribulation, their overflowing joy and extreme poverty have made their rich genealogy abound (2 Corinthians 8:1-2 ).
A small church in a rural village in France collected donations for missionary work. There was one blind person among the church members, and we donated about 350,000 won worth of our money that day. The blind man is in a difficult situation, so it is difficult for him to donate even ten thousand won. I asked if other members of the church had donated so much in difficult circumstances. The blind man said, “I do not have to turn on the lights in the house because I am blind. I paid because I thought it would cost around 350,000 won to turn on the lights for a year. When we receive grace from God, everything becomes a condition for giving, but if we do not receive grace, it becomes an excuse not to give anything.
Many people think that only what they receive from God is God's grace. When you gain money, status, or success, you rejoice and boast that you have received grace. But the grace that is greater than the grace we receive is the grace we give. Just as we cannot receive without God's grace, so without God's grace, no one can give.
The church in Corinth is a church that has received much. Corinth was a wealthy city, and there were many members of the church who had money. He also received many spiritual gifts. It was a church with many tongues, healing of diseases, and spiritual experiences. But they did not receive the favor they offered. I decided to donate a donation for the church in Jerusalem suffering from drought and did not put it into practice for over a year. Therefore, Paul says that they need to know one more grace besides the grace they have already received. It is the grace given to the churches in Thessalonica, Philippi, and Beurea in Macedonia. The church in Corinth, who only knew the grace to receive, needed the grace to receive.
The Macedonian region suffered a lot of persecution from the Romans and was not financially rich. The church members were also poorer. But when they gave their offerings, they gave in abundance, exceeding their strength. Because they have been given grace. How do I receive the grace given to me? First, you must give yourself first. Paul says that the Macedonian local church members gave themselves first. We give material to God as a confession that we are God's. Second, we receive grace when we realize that human life is meaningless on this earth. What is on the earth is perishable, and people will one day die. Third, when you have a small opportunity to give, if you use it often, you will receive grace.