Sunday Dec. 5 marked the end of our Stewardship Month at Six Roads. Here are some of my
thoughts for the occasion taken from 2 Cor. 8:1-15.
Many times people in love find it necessary to put each other to the test. Sometimes a
young man will drop by unexpectedly to see his girlfriend to see how she looks when she
is not all dolled up and expecting him. Sometimes having to go overseas and be separated
for a while becomes the acid test for many relationships.
Solomon said in Song of Songs 8:7
"Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it…". Paul said in this
passage that he wanted to test the sincerity of the love of the Corinthians by their giving.
The question to us is: "If giving is a test of our love for God, could you pass the test?
I would like to look at three ways in which giving is a test of love.
I. Giving is a test of our love for God.
We are told that the Macedonians first gave themselves to God. It is impossible for
a person to give cheerfully to God if they are not committed to Him first.
Whenever we give as Christians we give to God. We do not give to pay a bill or to keep shame out of
our face - we are giving to God. Giving is also a recognition of the fact that God was
the first who gave when He gave his only Son to come to earth and die on a cross for our
sins. The passage tells us that even though Christ was rich yet He became poor to make us rich.
In Malachi 3:10 God challenges the children of Israel and by
extension all of us to put Him to the test in our tithes and offerings and see if He will not
pour out on us a blessing which we will not have enough room to receive. It is natural to want
to give to those we love. Is our love for God reflected in our giving?
II. Giving is a test of our love for the church
The Macedonian Christians ignored their own poverty. Now here were people who were desperately
poor but they were begging for the opportunity to help others in need. They did not consider
themselves too poor to give. Paul says that they gave as much as they were able and then they
went a step further, they gave even more than they were able.
Nowadays, we talk about people living above their means. But how do you give more than you are able? In other words they gave sacrificially.
They had to deprive themselves of something to give in such a way. However, no one was commanding them
to give, maybe Paul was encouraging them not to give so much because they were so poor but they pleaded
not only for the opportunity to give but they gave entirely of their own accord. This was a spontaneous
gesture of love. What an example they set for us today!
III. Giving is a test of our love of the lost.
To love the lost is to look beyond ourselves. Today, in our self-centered world we can see only our
needs and our problems. The Macedonians pleaded for the privilege of sharing. When you really see
the world through the eyes of Christ you see their need for a Savior and want to share Him with them.
Do you really care about your family, your friends, your neighbors, the area in which you live in?
When we give to the Lord we facilitate the spreading of the gospel to both our communities and the world.
So long as there are people who have not heard the good news of the gospel we have to give.
The Bible says that your heart will be where your treasure is. Those who give substantial gifts to the
work of the Lord become interested in the Church and its programs. They are interested in seeing how
their money is used.
The Bible challenges us to make eternal investments, and it also challenges us to make
giving a part of these eternal investments. When all is said and done we are forced to realize that giving
is a test of love. If it is - How does your giving stand up?