Sharing From God's Abundant Gift
Jesus said "my purpose is to give life in all its abundance and fullness" (John 10:10). The fullness of Christ makes reference to the conscious yielding to God's presence, strength, care for others, spiritual authority and moral excellence in character and holiness. Christ is righteous, forgiving, humble, and loving. We share from Christ abundant gift when we demonstrate his characteristics in the way we live our lives in service of God and others. Christ said in Philippians 2:5 to "let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus". This passage encourages Christians to emulate the humility, love, and selflessness of Jesus Christ. God wants us to be filled with His fullness both individually and collectively as His Church.
Moreover, children of God recognize just how much God has given to us through the gift of Christ, salvation, grace, mercy, forgiveness, life and love. This understanding of the excellence of God's gift creates a desire in our hearts to give all we can give back to Him with both a willing and joyful heart. In 1 Corinthians 9:7, we learn that God loves a cheerful giver. When we give cheerfully from God's abundant gift, we dont have to worry about sacrificing of our time or finances because we know that both were freely given to us from God's unlimited generosity. The Bible teaches us that giving is an important aspect of the Christians life. Giving demonstrates our gratefulness, stewardship, selflessness (Mark 12:31), testimony of Gods faithfulness, devotion to serving God, love and concern for others, and willingness to sacrifice for the cause of Christ. Are you an abundant giver?