Grace…infinite love, mercy, favor, and goodwill shown to humanity by God. Grace is a word we like to use! It’s the focus of one of our favorite hymns! And for goodness sake, it’s our name! Yes, we like to talk about it and sing about it! But how well do we live it?

This is the basic question Paul has for the church of Corinth as he challenges them to “put their money where their mouths are.” Referring back to his request of a special offering on behalf of the impoverished Jerusalem Christians, he now ask them to let the grace given to them by God have it full effect as they give. Pointing to the gracefilled generosity of nearby churches who have endured hard times, Paul urges them now to take a further step in grace and now live it!