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This is the audio from the January 1, 2026 sermon, “Unwrapped Gifts: The Gift of Giving – Give!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: 2 Corinthians 8:1-15

• Generosity:  2 Corinthians 8:1-5

  • As we unwrap the gift of giving, we see a core of generosity as we gaze upon God’s giving toward us.  It is within the generous nature of God to give to us more than we deserve and even more than we can imagine.  While not always what we want, and perhaps quite often not even what we think we need, God’s generosity is always according to His knowledge and goodness.  As the gift of giving grows within us, we grow in our generosity towards God and towards others. 

• Intention:  2 Corinthians 8:6-9

  • As we unwrap the gift of giving, we see the intention of God to give us something that benefits others without drawing attention to our self.  It can be tempting to give to others with the intention of being recognized and applauded.  God makes it clear that if that is our intention, then the recognition and applause will take the place of any real blessing that could have been ours.  Not only does God examine our heart, He knows the purpose behind all of the gifts He gives to each of His children.  As the gift of giving grows within us, we must examine ourselves and give with pure intentions to bring glory and honor to God.

• Value:  2 Corinthians 8:10-12

  • As we unwrap the gift of giving, we see the value that God places on our willingness to give according to what we have received from Him.  The standard is faithfulness over quantity.  In our human nature we tend to value quantity over faithfulness, and even over proportion.  Because we all have been given different gifts and gifts in differing amounts, the value God places on our gift to Him is not based on size but rather on a complete offering of all of us.  As the gift of giving grows within us, we must learn to value a surrendered life as the thing God most wants from us . . . when we are fully surrendered, our giving will reflect that.

• Enough:  2 Corinthians 8:13-15

  • As we unwrap the gift of giving, we find that not only is God enough for us, we are enough for Him.  The goal of us receiving and using the gift of giving in our life is not so that some would have more and others would have less . . . that’s the natural way of life.  No, it is so we would discover in Christ that we have enough for ourselves and others in their time of need and that they have enough for themselves and us in our time of need.  As the gift of giving grows within us, we draw near to God and find that He is enough.

Today, how will you live with a heart of GIVE?