Family Worship Guide

Scripture Reading:
#1 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38)

#2 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:9–10)

Prayer of Praise: Refer to the verses above and hymn below.

Hymn: Come, Ye Thankful People Come

Reading of the Law: And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?” (Deut. 10:12-13)

Silent Confession of Sin/Confession of Sin: Heavenly Father, We come before You acknowledging that we have not loved You with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We have often served ourselves rather than serving You. We have held tightly to our possessions, trusted in our own ability, and given reluctantly rather than cheerfully. Forgive us for failing to walk in Your ways and for neglecting to honor You with all that You have entrusted to us. Yet Your Word reminds us: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) Cleanse our hearts, renew our desires, and teach us to give freely, joyfully, and generously, just as You have given to us in Christ. Amen.

Reading of the Gospel: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich.” (2 Cor. 8:9)

Heidelberg Catechism: Lord’s Day 50

Question # 125

Q. What does the fourth petition mean?

A. “Give us this day our daily bread” means: Do take care of all our physical needs so that we come to know that you are the only source of everything good, and that neither our work and worry nor your gift can do us any good without your blessing. And so help us to give up our trust in creatures and trust in you alone.

Prayer of Thanksgiving: Give thanks to God for all the care He shows you and your family and that all his promises will come true.

Prayer of Supplication: Ask God to sanctify you with the truth and to help you in your times of trouble.

Bible reading and commentary: 2 Corinthians 9

In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul continues the theme of Christian generosity begun in the previous chapter, yet here his tone becomes more pastoral and encouraging. He reassures the Corinthians that he has boasted about their eagerness to give (vv. 1–2), and he desires that their actual gift match their professed readiness. Paul is not manipulating them but protecting them from shame and guiding them toward a generosity that flows from grace.

In verses 5–7, Paul establishes the heart of Christian giving. The gift must be “a willing gift, not an exaction” (v. 5). True generosity cannot be coerced; it arises from inward transformation. Paul’s well-known statement follows: “God loves a cheerful giver” (v. 7). The word “cheerful” is not mere sentiment but joy rooted in the gospel. The believer who knows Christ’s lavish grace gives with glad freedom, not reluctant duty. Calvin comments on this passage by saying, “Nothing is accounted acceptable to God unless it proceeds from a cheerful heart.” (Calvin, Commentary on 2 Corinthians 9:7). This reminds us that God is not merely concerned with the action of giving but with the disposition of the heart.

Verses 8–11 expand the theological foundation of giving. God is not limited in His provision: “God is able to make all grace abound to you” (v. 8). Paul is not promising wealth but assuring believers that God supplies what is necessary for faithful obedience. The purpose of this provision is “every good work.” Christians are stewards, entrusted with resources not for self-indulgence but for service. Paul cites Psalm 112:9 to show that generous giving reflects the character of the righteous person whom God sustains.

Importantly, in verses 10–11, Paul lifts our eyes from our own capacity to God’s. He is the One who “supplies seed to the sower,” and He alone multiplies the fruit of righteousness. Generosity is not ultimately our achievement but God’s work in us. The outcome of such giving is not only material provision for the saints but abundant thanksgiving to God.

Finally, verses 12–15 show the ripple effect of generosity. The Corinthians’ gift will meet real needs in Jerusalem, but more than that, it will overflow in praise to God and strengthen the unity of the church. Generosity becomes doxology. The chapter concludes with a climactic reminder: “Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!” (v. 15). All Christian giving is patterned after and empowered by God’s supreme gift—His Son.

This chapter teaches that Christian generosity is cheerful, grace-driven, God-supplied, and doxological, drawing the church into deeper unity and worship.

Closing Hymn: The Doxology

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Closing Scripture: “The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” (Psalm 121:7–8)

The Lord’s Prayer (together):

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen