EPISODE 554 – THE GIVING-GRACE
Apostle Benjamin Nana Amissah AnsahCHRIST COMMONWEALTH-COMMUNITY
The Love-Life Agency
Tuesday 30th July, 2024
THE GIVING-GRACE
”But just as you excel in everything, [and lead the way] in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in genuine concern, and in your love for us, see that you excel in this gracious work [of giving] also”
2 Corinthians 8:7 (Amplified Bible)
As a saint in Christ, you are made a steward of God. Your living is not unto yourself, but Christ.
Whatever you do, do as unto the Lord’s glory.
And there is nothing God tells you to do without supplying you with grace. He makes His grace available for you, yours is to take hold of grace and increase in it.
There is nothing done in the Kingdom without the supply of God’s grace.
One may have a lot of resources at his or her disposal and will not be a cheerful bountiful giver.
It takes grace to be a giver!!
It is one thing to know that whatever you have to give is from God, and it’s another thing to have the grace to give big.
Therefore, Paul, the apostle speaking to the Church in Corinth mentioned that they should excel or increase in the giving-grace as well.
Read the opening verse above again.
I hope you just did that, right?
If not please go up to read again.
You see, in as much as the Church in Corinth:
– excelled in the grace to exercise and lead in faith
– excelled in utterance or speech.
– excelled in knowledge
– excelled in genuine passion
– excelled in love for the apostles and even in every gift
He admonished them to excel in the GIVING-GRACE. (2 Corinthians 8:7).
This means the brethren in Corinth didn’t lack grace for the various items mentioned, yet they did not excel in the grace to be great givers.
And for the apostle to get them to excel in this grace he has to teach them. We grow in grace through the knowledge of our Lord Jesus (2 Peter 1:2).
This knowledge is not just awareness, it is the acknowledgement and oneness into reality through the participation of that reality.
This means as you acknowledge the wisdom of God in Christ concerning giving and you become a doer of this knowledge, you increase in the giving-grace.
You don’t excel in the giving grace by “wishing to give”. You increase in this grace by giving consistently with joy.
And as you continue to give, you stretch your faith to give beyond your ability. That is how you increase your capacity of grace.
Look at the testimony of the Churches in Macedonia:
”Beloved ones, we must tell you about the grace God poured out upon the churches of Macedonia. For even during a season of severe difficulty and tremendous suffering, they became even more filled with joy. From the depths of their extreme poverty, super-abundant joy overflowed into an act of extravagant generosity. For I can verify that they spontaneously gave, not only according to their means but far beyond what they could afford.” 2 Corinthians 8:1-3 (TPT).
You could see that, they didn’t give their surplus to support God’s work (which includes ministering to the saints), they extravagantly gave beyond their ability. This is fully the work of grace.
However, they didn’t just give extravagantly by grace, they first gave themselves to the Lord.
Just as David said,
“…because I have set my affection on the house of my God, I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared…”
This is the kind of environment giving-grace finds true expression. You have to first set your affection on the Lord and give yourself to Him; where you don’t live according to your self-interest.
“Not only [did they give materially] as we had hoped, but first they gave themselves to the Lord and to us [as His representatives] by the will of God [disregarding their personal interests and giving as much as they possibly could]“ 2 Corinthians 8:5 (Amplified Bible).
Until you set your affection on the Lord you cannot give towards His work.
And the giving-grace will not find full expression to excel.
Where you put your money or your treasure (which includes your time, attention and valuable resources) is where your heart is.
Our Lord made it clear:
”Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matthew 6:21 (NLT)
And when your heart gravitates towards the Kingdom, you activate the grace of God to do more in the Kingdom.
The time to increase in this giving grace is now.
How do you see the Lord’s assignment?
How do you esteem the Lord’s work?
What is the direction of your desire, affection or interests?
God doesn’t just supply grace. More grace is given to the doers of the word.
How true?
Look at this:
”And God is able to make all grace [every favor and earthly blessing] come in abundance to you, so that you may always [under all circumstances, regardless of the need] have complete sufficiency in everything [being completely self-sufficient in Him], and have an abundance for every good work and act of charity.”
You know, people often shout “I receive it” and “Amen” when there is the declaration of the above gracious blessing.
However, most people don’t pay attention to verse 7, before verse 8.
In verse 7, Paul instructed the brethren in Corinth:
”Let each one [give] as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver [whose heart is in his giving].” 2 Corinthians 9:7 (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition).
Is your heart in your giving?
Are you a cheerful giver?
Do you purpose in your heart to give according to the desires God has put in your heart?
Grace is supplied abundantly to a cheerful prompt to do it giver.
And God:
– takes pleasure in,
– prizes above other things
– and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver [whose heart is in his giving].
BE AN EXTRAVAGANT, CHEERFUL, JOYOUS – PROMPT TO DO IT GIVER TODAY!
Shalom.
To be a part of the gospel financiers, send us a mail at machairawithapostlebennie@gmail.com.
DIG DEEPER
(1 Chronicles 29:2-20; Luke 16:9-11; Proverbs 3:9-11; Deuteronomy 15:10; 2 Corinthians 8:1-15; 9:1-11)
WE PRAY
– That as our desires have been stirred towards giving, we shall be cheerful prompt to do it givers.
– And that we shall increase in superabounding grace to extravagantly give ourselves and our resources to the expansion of the kingdom.
BIBLE READING IN THE YEAR 2024
Jeremiah 20 – 23
DECLARE THESE WORDS:
– I am an extravagant giver.
– I don’t give grudgingly, I give cheerfully.
– I am a prompt to do it giver and my heart is in my giving.
– I give greatly into the Lord’s work.
– I am a son of consolation.
– Because of me the work of God is done with ease.
– I increase in the grace to give day by day.
– I don’t withhold my money. I give out joyously as the Lord inspires me.
– I have the heart and the mind of a giver.
– This week I give greatly into the Lord’s assignment.
– The Lord has engraced and enabled me to give more.
– I increase and abound in this giving grace massively.
Oh Hallelujah, Gloreeeey!!!
I am a joyful gracious prompt to do it giver
All grace abounds towards me
A Son of Consolation is I
Thank You Jesus
Thank you Jesus for the Grace of giving. I am an extravagant giver, I am a cheerful giver, a great financier of the Gospel and I give my self.
Gloreeeeeyyy!!
Thank you Jesus
I have the grace to give
I excel in giving .
I am a great giver .
I consistently give with joy
Because of me , the work of God is done with ease
I AM AN EXTRAVAGANT, CHEERFUL, JOYOUS – PROMPT TO DO IT GIVER !
More grace is supplied to me as I act upon the word of God to give cheerfully.
I increase in this giving-grace.
I stretch in faith to give beyond my ability. This is how I grow in this grace of giving. Thank you Lord Jesus!
The Lord has engraced and enabled me to give more
I increase in grace to give big
There’s one thing I’ve realised about cheerful givers aside having the Lord’s work as their desire, cheerful givers are loving and humble in spirit, their compassion and generosity turns to mould them into meekness and gentleness. This Grace is very essential in our walk with God and indeed everyone of us need to increase more in it.
Hallelujah!!
I continue to increase in the giving Grace much more
I have the mind of a giver and the heart of a giver
I become prosperous to show off or to make any man proud but for the kingdom sake I increase In my capacity to give more
The giving Grace of God ????
Thank you Jesus
I set my affection and give myself unto the Lord
Thank you Sweet Jesus
Ei, I’m a cheerful and prompt to do giver.
I increase in superabounding grace to extravagantly give myself and my resources to the expansion of the kingdom.
I increase in the grace to give day by day.
I have the heart and mind of a giver.
In the name of Jesus, the grace to give rest upon my mighty. Thank you Apostle sir. God bless you for this nourishment. Glory be to God
Thank you sir for shaping my mind in this ministry of Giving, I get my heart engaged in my giving, I don’t drag my feet in giving I am prompt to do joyfully
Whatever I do, I do it unto the Lord’s glory.
I have the grace to be a giver.
I give consistently with joy.
I set my affection on the Lord.
I’m an extravagant, joyous, prompt to do it giver.
I am an extravagant giver.
I don’t give grudgingly, I give cheerfully.
I am a prompt to do it giver and my heart is in my giving.
Because of me the work of God is done with ease.
I increase in the grace to give day by day.
The Lord has engraced and enabled me to give more.