Mark the word bounty in our key verse. It means worthy of praise. Our financial giving to God (through your local church) should be worthy of praise. I call that exalted giving.
There is a great example of exalted giving found in Mark 12 beginning in verse 41. Jesus is sitting over against the treasury which is by the wailing wall. It is there that the Jews would bring their financial gifts. It is there you would find thirteen collection boxes, and each box was labeled or designated. One would be for the “poor,” another would be marked “temple,” another would be labeled “Levites,” etc.
Jesus called the disciples over and pointed out a widow who had just given two mites, which by the way, was all she had. Jesus then tells the disciples that everyone else had given from their abundance but she had given all. Jesus praised the widow – this is exalted giving.
In our Bible reading for today, Paul is encouraging the church at Corinth to give bountifully or give a gift worthy of praise.
An evangelist I know told me about a revival he preached in a church in the South. That week, he said, God moved and many decisions were made, and he added, “To God be the glory!” At the end of the week, he was presented with his love offering which was in an envelope. He said, “I am seldom shocked when I receive the love offering; but on this occasion, the $50 check caught me off-guard.”
Needless to say, this is not exalted giving.
On the other hand, the same evangelist said the next week he received a check for over $2,000. The difference is that the church that gave the $50 ran in attendance in the hundreds. The church that gave the $2,000 ran in attendance in the dozens. One is pathetic giving and the other is exalted giving. Which do you do?
✞ Give bountifully.
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