ICS Daily Devotions
God Is Our Source

2 Cor 9:8,10 (NKJV) And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. …… Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness.

Paul was preparing the members in Corinth to make the collection that they have promised to give as a free will offering to the church in Jerusalem. ，The free will offering was to help the poor in Jerusalem. The Corinthians reacted passionately to give initially and stirred up the interest of other churches in the region to contribute too. However, they were slow in responding to collect the offering that they promised as there was some disagreement between Paul and the church in Corinth. Men have a tendency to be swayed by their feelings, being offended and also tend to rationalize or justify their actions.

The love of money is the root of all evil and it has caused even Christians who operate in the world’s values and principles of making money to pierce themselves with many sorrows. Why don’t we begin to make God the source of our provision and refuse to compromise with the world or conform to it? Why don’t we adopt God’s biblical financial principles to provide for us? Why don’t we trust God for favor, opportunities and ideas to bring in the businesses?

It will take away a lot of stress and compromises with the world when we begin to make God the source of our provision. The good thing about God is He is constant and recession free. Therefore, let us make God the source for our lives so that we can fulfill His purpose on earth while being good stewards of His money! What the world is not able to provide God is more than able! The good thing is that when God blesses us, he adds no sorrow with it.

We must never forget it is God who is able to make all grace abound towards us. His grace is an enablement and it is an ease that comes over us. This includes the grace for being alive, grace to cope with the pace of life and grace for doing what we are called to do. God wants us to abound in the grace for giving, too.

2 Cor 8:7 (NKJV) But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you abound in this grace also.

Just like the people in Corinth, we might have acquired a lot of knowledge of the Bible through different classes, we have grown in our faith and were diligent in our work. One thing that God also would like us to excel and abound in is the grace to give. It means that we may be known for our giving and know that He has given us the grace to be able to give money for His work.

It is important to establish and accept this biblical truth in our lives that He is truly Jehovah Jireh, our Provider. It is easier for us to be a steward of God’s money when we truly believe that He is the source of our provision. We should cultivate a lifestyle of giving. It should be giving over and above the tithe and weekly offerings. We will experience God in our lives when we practice all these biblical financial principles and it will help us to escape the corruption that is in the world. It will help us to switch from the world’s system into God’s system of blessings and provision. God is our true source of blessings!

Sermon Series: Free Will Offering