Beloved: grace and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am glad to welcome you to a new week of the month August 2022. And I pray that God will cause you to excel in all good things in the week and throughout the remaining part of the year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Now, as we begin this new week, I want to encourage you with the words of Paul to the Corinthian brethren about the Macedonian brethren, which say: “And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most 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. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.” (2Cor 8:1-5NIV)
Why is Paul saying these things about the Macedonian churches to the Corinthians? It is because he wants them to emulate them. And what does he want them to emulate in the Macedonians? It is their devotion to giving for the work of the Lord. Evidently, there was a time churches of God of bible days were making contributions for His work and to help some of His people. And though the Macedonian churches at the time happened to be in extreme poverty, they still gave.
In fact, there are three major things Paul mentions in the text above about their attitude towards giving on that occasion. First, he says that they were overflowing with joy to give. Therefore, their poverty resulted in rich generosity. That is strange. How can poverty result in generosity? Well, as Paul shows us, when a man is overflowing with joy, even in poverty, he will find a way to be generous. If you are not generous, then, it may be that the joy of the Lord is not full or overflowing in your life.
Second, Paul says these people contributed beyond their ability. That, of course, is figurative, for no one can actually give what he does not have. So, what Paul means is that these brethren shocked everybody with their giving. They gave far beyond what everybody expected them to give, considering their circumstances. And that, again, was because their hearts were overflowing with joy to give.
Sadly, today, most people in church always think of giving as small as they can for the work of the Lord, to their leaders and to other brethren in need. That is because giving is boring to them. They see it as an unnecessary burden that God has placed on their lives. Perhaps you too see giving for the Lord’s cause as an unnecessary burden. The Macedonian brethren did not see it that way. Instead, they saw it as a thing of joy to give to the Lord and to His people. And that is how it should be, for if we see it as a thing of joy to receive from the Lord, we should also see it as a thing of joy to give to Him or to anyone He wants us to give to.
The third thing Paul mentions about the Macedonians is that they were earnest about their giving. According to him, they literally begged to be given the opportunity to give on that occasion. HAVE YOU EVER BEGGED TO GIVE TO THE LORD? Well, these brethren did. And why did they have to beg to give? It was most likely because the apostle did not want them to give, considering their financial condition at the time. But they would not miss out on the blessedness of giving and receiving. So, they begged him to allow them also to participate. And when they were allowed to do so, they gave beyond everyone’s expectations.
Unfortunately, most of us today will do all that we can to escape giving in our assemblies. If an usher, for instance, mistakenly takes the offering bag pass us in a church meeting, that is over for that day – we won’t give again. And what we do not know is that as we are seeking ways to avoid giving for the work of the Lord and to those that He wants us to give to, the benefits of giving are also seeking ways to avoid us. And the word of God is coming to us now and asking us to change our ways and learn from the Macedonians instead of always making excuses for not being devoted to giving to the Lord’s cause. Yes, sometimes, it may not be convenient for us to give, as it was not convenient for them too. But if our hearts are right, as their hearts were right, then, we will give with joy and in the maximum. And our gifts will be accepted by God based on what we have and not based on what we do not have.
Do have a pleasant week.
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