Living in the age of grace presents us with some amazing truths that we should adhere to and advance. However, with that there is responsibility that we should not missuse the liberty we have because of grace. Just because we are free from the law and ordinances does not mean that we are able to live however we want. The old saying, "With great power comes great responsibility." gives us a tremendous opportunity to live the grace of God in our lives properly. One aspect that we can allow God's grace to live in our lives is through our giving.
The Liberality That Grace Produces
Many grace believers today often try to hide behind grace, but we need to study God's word to better understand what it means to live the grace life. We are given many examples of what grace living will look like. God gives us the church at Macedonia, and the church at Thessalonica to see how a group of people, not just one person, can work together while allowing God's grace to work in their life. The church at Macedonia allows us to see what it should look like when we give. II Corinthians 8:1-5, Paul draws the attention of the Corinthian church to the grace of God which was bestowed on the churches of Macedonia because of their offering and their attitude toward giving. Liberty allows us to make as big a donation as we want without feeling that we have to give a certain amount; however, liberty does not mean we do not give at all.
Grace not only motivates salvation, but it also motivates our walk and our service. We as Grace believers should live a life of giving and not taking because we have the mind of Christ and we should live life based upon that thought process. Christ gave everything for you and I so that we could have eternal life and live in a relationship with Him. The believers at Macedonia encapsulated this lifestyle as we can read in II Corinthians 8:7-9.
We should have the same mindset as Paul as well. He chose to spend and be spent for the churches he started so that he would not be chargeable to any man, I Thessalonians 2:8-9. This is why I chose to have another job and will not take a salary for being a pastor of any church. As we start a bible study which will become a church, I do not want to be a burden on anyone. The only thing collections will be used for would be the perpetuation of the gospel of the grace of God.
Grace should make us be willing to do more to go the extra mile as we work together to build the Church, the Body of Christ. Philemon 21
What did we do, or what can we do to deserve everything we have been given in Christ? Nothing.
We must come to the point when we will set our affections on things above and not be so earthly minded.
Grace and Peace
Greg Resor
Complete in Him
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