Our example in giving

How much do we know the grace of Jesus in our lives?

And if we really did know it, how would it change our attitude in our giving, not only of our money, but of our time, our resources, and of our very lives?

Paul told the Corinthians,

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)

What is grace? It is the giving of something to a people that don’t deserve it.

And Jesus was full of grace, giving to us what we didn’t deserve. Think about what he did for us.

Jesus was “rich” in heaven. Not in that he had lots of gold or silver or money. Such things really have little worth in heaven.

But Jesus, while he was in heaven, shared in the glory of God, and was worshiped by the angels. He sat on the throne next to the Father, lacking nothing.

He in fact ruled over all things, and through him, all things in heaven and earth hold together. (Colossians 1:15-18)

And yet, he gave up all his glory in heaven to come to this earth as a man. Not as a king. Not even as a rich man. But as a mere carpenter.

Even when he began his ministry, it was as an itinerant preacher, one who never knew where he would lay his head for the night. (Luke 9:58)

And at the end of his life, instead of receiving worship, he was reviled. Instead of sitting on his throne, he hung on a cross. Instead of reigning in glory, he hung in shame. Why?

So that we might become rich. So that our sins might be paid for by his work on the cross. And so that one day we would become co-heirs with him in his kingdom (Romans 8:17).

That’s the grace of Jesus that he freely gave to us. So once again, the question is, “Do we know that grace in our lives?”

Has that truth truly sunk into our hearts? Because if it has, it will show in our lives as well. Generosity will spring out of our hearts just as it sprang out of Jesus’.

Honestly, it’s a truth that needs to sink a lot deeper into my heart.

How about you? Do you know the grace of Jesus in your life?

Is it overflowing out of your heart in generosity to others?