You can see the Gratitude

There’s a principle in evaluation theory that says, “Everything can be measured”. Even things which seem intangible can be quantified with a bit of effort. In that way you can measure changes and determine whether or not, or even to what degree, you’re accomplishing what you hoped for. I was reminded of that today when I was reading 2 Corinthians 8. 

The Apostle Paul is encouraging the Christians in Corinth to follow through with their commitment to contribute generously to the offering being collected around all the churches in support of the people in Jerusalem, who were going through a hard time. He pointed to the example of the Macedonians (who said we can’t learn from others?) who gave liberally, even though they were pretty poorly off themselves. By comparison, the Corinthians were quite well off and one would expect their offering would reflect that (if one was comparing, that is).

Apparently Paul didn’t mind comparing them. After citing the example of the Macedonians, Paul says, “I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 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” (2 Cor. 8:8-9). Paul knew what the Corinthians were capable of, and he was watching to see what their response would be. He drew a direct line between their contribution to helping others and their appreciation for what God had done for them in Jesus. 

Ouch! Can someone really do that? Isn’t that pretty judgmental? Well, actually not always. In fact, Jesus did the same thing with a woman who came to see him at a Pharisee named Simon’s house one time. This woman had a well-known reputation (and not a good one) and when she arrived she began to weep over Jesus’ feet, washing his feet with her tears and wiping them with her hair. Simon, his host, was not impressed and Jesus called him out for it (Luke 7:36-50). Jesus told Simon a parable about how people who are forgiven large debts are much more likely to be generous in forgiving others – common sense, right? Then Jesus dropped the kicker saying, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house and you did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair … therefore, I tell you, her sins have been forgiven – for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little” (verses44-47).

Ah! There it is! The direct correlation between a person’s own sense of personal forgiven-ness, and their output of generous grace and love toward others. What Jesus is saying here is that you can tell how much someone appreciates God’s grace in their own lives by how much grace they show to others. And that’s what we need to think about. For too many of us, our appreciation for what Jesus did for us dims over time. We begin to see ourselves as “pretty good” Christians, forgetting that there but for the grace of God we go. The danger then is that we begin to fall into Phariseeism in our approach to others. 

But – if we will hold on to the truth of God’s grace in our lives – if we will cultivate that, relish it, appreciate it and be oh, so grateful for it – then we will be prone to respond to the needs of others with grace, generosity and love. This summer we’ve been preaching about the 7 words which should change the world (1 John 4:19). It’s the same principle here. Our capacity to show love to others is a direct result of our awareness of, and appreciation for, God’s love for us in Jesus. Want to think some more about this? Read the book, “Unshockable Love” by John Burke. I highly recommend it.