September 22, 2022

Passage Read: 2 Corinthians 8-9
Meditation Verses: 8:12-14

Thought

Giving is not a competition that we should see who can give the most. Nor is it something to go into debt over. But it is simply an expression of the love and care we have for others, based on what we have available to give. Ideally, we live on less than we make and we have an excess available to give to the needs of others. This is a very practical application of loving one another. Neither are we called to make everyone's wishes come true, but to help those who lack basic needs. In the same way, I should work at living simply, so that I have an excess to give to others' needs.

Application

I don't need to see what others are giving, I only need to see if I have extra to give, and to give that when needed. God is more interested in my heart of concern for others. Do I really care about the needs of those around me, especially brothers and sisters? Then I shouldn't just be giving money. Do I know my brothers and sisters will enough to know when they have genuine needs and when they just have things they want but don't actually need? Am I more concerned about fulfilling my wants than meeting the needs of others? These are the things God is looking for, not how much total money I give away.