“What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honour the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.”
2 Corinthians 8:19-21 NIVUK
Chapter 8 of 2 Corinthians starts with an account of the generosity of the Macedonian churches (Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea) in raising funds to help the poor in Judea, who were still suffering from the effects of a famine. Paul wrote, “And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. …” (2 Corinthians 8:1-3). Paul continued with an appeal for the Corinthians to add their offering to that already collected, and to help with this, Titus was sent with some other brothers to act as a public statement of trust so that the money would arrive at its destination untouched. Paul reminded the Corinthians that the offering was administered “in order to honour the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help”.
Honour, trust and righteousness are key words in our verses today, and they should feature in all dealings in churches where money is involved. We should also add the word “integrity” because that reflects the character of the people involved in its administration. Sadly, today, an occasional news story emerges that exposes a misdemeanour. There was an occasion some years ago in a UK church, when the church secretary, who occasionally dipped into the offering placed in a safe overnight, was confronted by one of the leaders who had suspicions about what was going on. The money wasn’t usually counted before it was placed in the safe, but one day the leaders did count it and discovered that some of it had gone missing the next day, after the secretary had arrived at work. Thankfully, the leadership handled the situation very sensitively, the money was repaid, and the situation was resolved in a Godly way with restoration for the person concerned. But back with the Corinthians, Paul wanted to avoid any criticism of how the gift was administered, so he put in place men of honour and righteousness to do the necessary.
There is a connection between righteousness and honour, as we read in Proverbs 21:21, “Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honour”. But underpinning all Scriptures about integrity is the principle of stewardship, and this applies to everything that God has given us, our time, our talents or our treasure. Always under constant review are the ways we apply the whole of ourselves, in whatever we are doing, such that in it we honour God. Jesus taught a parable that we can read in Matthew 25. It starts, “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone” (Matthew 25:14). His three servants had differing abilities, so he gave five bags of silver to one, two bags to another and one bag to the last. We note that this parable was about the Kingdom of Heaven, God’s Kingdom, and in some translations, the reference is to talents, which expands on the meaning of the resource being allocated. But in the parable, we read on and find that the first two servants put the money to work and doubled its value through wise and sound investments. Sadly, the last servant just hid his bag of silver, and, although it was intact, it achieved nothing for the benefit of his master. The first two servants heard that wonderful accolade from their master, we read, “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together! ’” (Matthew 25:21). But the last servant wasted his opportunity and ultimately ended up in “ … outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”.
We pilgrims need to be careful to use what God has given us in a way that honours Him, regardless of the resource. It could be the way we use our time: perhaps we should ask ourselves, “Is what we are devoting our time to producing a return for God?” Similarly, with our talents, the ability gifts God has given us. We may have the gift of encouragement: Romans 12:8a, “If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. …”. There are many more gifts God has provided but we don’t ever want to be accused of not using them. And of course, there is our money. Some people have a philanthropic ministry funded by their wealth, but at the other end of the spectrum, we read about the Temple offering from a poor woman. “Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has”” (Luke 21:2-4). But we must take note that we each have a “bag of silver” to invest in God’s Kingdom.
Honouring God and living in righteousness are fundamental characteristics of all pilgrims living in God’s Kingdom.
Dear Heavenly Father. Difficult words and thoughts today, but we pray for Your help because we get so easily sidetracked. Please forgive us for the ways we have failed You in the use of our gifts, and we pray for opportunities to use them as You intended. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 