Bible Reading: II Corinthians8:16-24
Key Verse: Verse 16 – “But thanks be to God, which put
the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you.”
Key Words: earnest
careThe church at Jerusalem was going
through a tough time because of persecution.
Paul was led of the Lord to write to other churches, including the
church at Corinth,
which were not hurting financially. As
you can tell from the Scriptures, Titus is in charge of collecting the offering
for the church at Jerusalem from the church at Corinth. Paul encourages the church to be just as
earnest in their giving as Titus is in his care for them.
Mark the word earnest.
It means to put your money where your mouth is. Earnest giving is putting action with your
words.
We all, as believers,
should be earnest in our giving. We all
should put our money where our mouth is!
In Chile,
Missionary Karen Wright experienced a bizarre tradition at the funeral of a
Catholic neighbor. During the service an
offering was collected. The priest then
said, “Thank you for participating in the salvation of this man.” After hearing these words and seeing only
small change in the offering plate, Karen thought: If these people really
believed their offering would help save this man, wouldn’t they sacrifice and
give more? She then made her thoughts
more personal: I and many others profess the truth about salvation through
faith in Christ, yet if someone really believed in Jesus, wouldn’t they give
more than a token financial gift?
Wouldn’t they give earnestly – not to be saved, but because they are
saved?
Let me encourage you to do
some earnest giving to God through your local church.
What to do:
✞
Put your money where your mouth is.
Are you Saved? |
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