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| Volume 20 Number 11 November 2018 | Page 10 |
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| Volume 20 Number 11 November 2018 | Page 10 |
Mark McWhorter
In 2 Corinthians 8-9, Paul discussed the grace of giving. The Corinthians had vowed to send money to those in need. Almost a year had passed, and it had not been sent. Paul commended them for being spiritual but said they also needed to fulfill their vow. Intentions were good, but they were empty if not fulfilled. In Chapter 8, he said the Macedonians had a great gift of grace by giving when they were in poverty. He said the Corinthians could learn a lesson from them.
He, then, used God’s great gift of Jesus Christ as the ultimate example (8:9). Jesus became poor so that man could become rich. Jesus had all things when in Heaven, but he gave that up so that we might be rich.
Paul closed Chapter 9 with these verses. “And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” This is almost a parallel to Chapter 8:7-9. He was saying that he was confident that the Corinthians would fulfill their vow with the great grace of God in their giving. Further, he emphasized the importance of such graceful giving by giving thanks to God for His great gift of Jesus Christ to man.
Some people do not like to hear sermons on giving. Yet, God gave Jesus to us. The least we can do is to give bountifully back to Him. We do this by giving on the first day of the week in worship. Then, those funds can be used for preaching the Gospel and for benevolence to those in need.
Read your Bible. Learn how to have the gift of the grace of God in benevolence. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
Donald R. Fox
It is 2:00 a.m., and I cannot sleep. We were notified yesterday, late in the day, that a dear ole friend has terminal cancer and is not expected to live another six months or so. There are so many of whom I can think who are facing the closure of physical life. We understand this is part of living, to die.
I have always prayed that when I face death that I will be strong, have courage to the end. I have also prayed that death would overtake me at 2:00 a.m. or so when I am asleep. Yet, as I consider this, will I have courage to overcome my fears? I think so; maybe I am talking about what I call the human factor. As humans, we are so weak; fears of the unknown haunt us. We wish it were not so, but alas it is. We admit its truth.
As a Christian, I believe with all my being an afterlife will be far better than this earthly life. The comforting words of the apostle John ring true. “These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, even unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13). The apostle Paul also gave us frail humans courage concerning our pondering the human factor with all our fears. “And if Christ hath not been raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins… If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable… O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:17, 19 and 55). We struggle with our fears, yet deep within our being, courage is present.
“Life without the courage for death is slavery” (Seneca 5 B.C.-65 A.D.). So, it is with God-given courage that we press on. “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13).