“Make A Generous Gift, Not One Grudgingly Given!”

“Make A Generous Gift, Not One Grudgingly Given!”(II Cor.9:1-5).
I was pastoring PC Bertoua congregation from PC Nsimeyong when the church building was raised to roofing level. We turned this way and that way sourcing for funds to buy roofing sheets to no avail. Then an anglophone Catholic priest in Bertoua volunteered to give us the zinc on loan for us to pay at our pace. We were so thankful for his generosity.
Few months after this we had a Presbytery meeting in Garoua. I reported to the Presbytery Meeting about ths work in progress and cited the generosity of the Catholic priest. A delegate from one of our wealthy congregations at the time wondered whether we did the right thing to take such a loan from a Catholic priest. I was blunt in my response. I told how we reached out to his congregation soliciting for help, but received none.
The story is told how in a certain Christian dominated community, one Christian needed a kidney transplant. His pastor and church members visited him regularly in the hospital and prayed for him to have somebody who would donate him a kidney. They all had two healthy kidneys each. At the end of the day it was a Muslim who saved the man’s life by giving him one of his kidneys.
Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians to remind them of the promise they had made to give to assist the needy saints in Jerusalem. He had to send delegates to prepare their minds, so that when they give it should be “a generous gift and not one that is gripudgingly given.”
This is a lesson to us fundraisers. It is good to always prepare the minds of the people in advance. We have come to know that people give generously when there is transparency and accountability in the way the funds are managed.
However, our focus here is about the difference between a “generous gift and one grudgingly given.” Being generous is “showing a readiness to give more of something, especially money, than is strictly necessary or expected;” while grudgingly is doing something in a reluctant or resentful manner.
My friend, discipleship is about self-sacrifice for the welfare of others. Even so, no sacrifice that we make can equal that which Christ made for us. “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.”(II Cor.8:9).
Bottomline: Whenever we are called upon to give for the service of others let us do it as a generous gift, not one that is grudgingly given.”
Prayer of the week: Holy Spirit prod me to always give generously to assist the saints who are in need. Amen!
Welcome back to a new working day and week! Have a blessed day and week! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.