“Gold Unwilling” ~✨
Second Corinthians Chapter 6 speaks of “holiness,” Chapter 7 goes on to “perfect holiness,” and Chapter 8 discusses “the proof of love.” Love is the bond of perfection (Colossians 3:14). Without the proof of love, how can believers be perfectly sanctified?
The Lord Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). The Lord Jesus laid down His life for us about 2,000 years ago. I ask you, whose love is greater than His? If a person sells all their possessions for a friend, there is no greater love than that—except the love that lays down one’s life. In this world, there are many who view money as their very life; asking them to part with their money is like asking them to part with their life.
Remember the rich young ruler. He wanted to follow the Lord Jesus, but when he heard the Lord tell him to sell all his possessions and give to the poor before he could come and follow Him, he was unwilling to do so (Matthew 19:21-22). I believe the Lord saw from the very beginning that this young rich man was unwilling. The Lord knows that persons who do not follow Him with a willing heart will not take up their cross and follow Him. In other words, they will not deny themselves for the Lord.
Today, there are many rich people like that young man. It is not only the rich who view money as life itself; many middle-class people are the same, or even worse. Asking them to spend even a single cent on something not for themselves is extremely difficult. That’s how the world is, but there are also such believers within the church.
In 2 Corinthians 8, the Apostle Paul speaks from the depths of his heart to stir up the Corinthians’ love even more, so that they would give generously to the saints in the Jerusalem church. At that time, there was a famine in Jerusalem (Acts 11:28), and the people were living in hardship, so the saints there could only help one another in a limited way. Paul was concerned for the brothers there. While preaching in Gentile lands, he collected offerings from the local churches he had established, including the church in Corinth. The book of Acts records that Paul, during his various missionary journeys, collected money for Jerusalem, and he personally delivered the donations to Jerusalem.
In 2 Corinthians 8:9, Paul speaks of “equality,” pointing out that local churches should help one another in times of need. Paul’s meaning is that the Corinthian church could now help supply what the Jerusalem church lacked, and perhaps someday Jerusalem could in turn supply what Corinth lacked. This idea resembles the Confucian concept of “courtesy demands reciprocity,” but what Paul speaks of is a higher sentiment—the very sentiment of the Lord Jesus Christ: “though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” This is a self-sacrificing, life-giving love that springs from love—love without conditions, love that does not seek repayment (2 Corinthians 8:9, 14).
The Lord is the greatest giver. He offered His own life as a propitiation for sinners. If believers are unwilling to give even a little money, then they are even more unwilling than that rich young ruler. The Lord looks at the heart, not the amount of money given. Most believers should remember the testimony of the poor widow; she, out of her poverty, put in two small copper coins, all she had to live on. The Lord said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all” (Luke 21:2-4). The value of the poor widow’s two small coins was not in their amount, but in what they represented: her complete trust—her belief that God would supply her needs for the next day.
If you have a hundred dollars and are asked to give one-tenth, you might feel a deep ache in your flesh and heart. If even giving one percent causes you pain, then where is the testimony of your love for the Lord? Some comfort themselves by saying, “If I have no money, I’ll give my effort.” The poor widow had no money, yet she gave the only two small coins she had, and she also made the effort to go to the temple, not caring if others laughed at her, and dropped those two coins into the treasury. She is a model of “giving both money and effort.” The Lord said, “To everyone who has, more will be given; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.” The Lord’s words are not just to be heard and forgotten; He will indeed call us to account (2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Peter 4:5). If you do not act out of love, then act out of fear! The former will receive greater grace and reward; the latter will have no fragrance even in the giving.
If a person says they love God, the clearest touchstone is to offer what they are most unwilling to part with. God sees our weaknesses, and we also see that money is like a cure-all—we are most reluctant to spend it on others or for other purposes. That is why Proverbs 3:9 says, “Honour the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase.” I have seen and personally experienced the blessing of Proverbs 3:9. Because the one who does this, “your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine” (Proverbs 3:10).
To summarize my sharing: giving is a response to God’s grace. At the same time, it shows that believers are able to give precisely because they have received God’s grace. When believers give money, they are not bestowing grace on others; rather, they are sharing the grace that God has given them with others. Therefore, giving is an expression of grace. The more grace, the more giving; the more giving, the more grace. In matters of money, it is very easy to measure a believer’s spiritual state.
True willing giving of money comes from a deep recognition of God’s faithfulness. When we are convinced that “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19), we can be released from the bondage of calculating gain and loss, and enter into the freedom and joy of giving.
This sharing is not suggesting that readers must follow the poor widow’s example exactly. Giving to the Lord is a matter of the heart, not of calculation. Yet the amount of money you give can reflect your heart’s attitude. The Apostle Paul taught: “Walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” (Ephesians 4:1). And, “let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing” (Philippians 3:16). Your willingness brings God joy; and when God is joyful, He will supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
Here, I offer my message as follows:
“My Message” ✨
In the Year of the Snake, be clever—clever and gentle as a dove.
Dove-loyal, son of virtue—a conscience bound to the cross.
The cross surpasses self-love; love reveals the loyal and good.
Conscience and spirit—spirit and heart, in perfect harmony.
Harmonising with God’s will—thoughts deep and rich.
Rich and deep for the Lord—the Lord is everything.
✨✨💖 ~
en yan hua fang 