Verse: 2 Corinthians 8:1-5
And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.
Devotion
What is Paul writing about here? He is encouraging the church in Corinth to follow the example of the churches in Macedonia. Those churches, even thought they weren’t very wealthy, had given generously to the collection for the Christians in Jerusalem who were very poor.
An interesting piece of this is where Paul says they “gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.” In other words, the amount of their gift wasn’t monetarily huge, but it was nonetheless sacrificial for them. It reminds us of Jesus’ comment on the widow who gave two small copper coins. Jesus said that even though the amount she gave was negligible, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others.” (Luke 21:3) Obviously it wasn’t that Jesus was terrible at math that he said this. He counted the sacrificial, generous heart as more important than the actual amount.
Even more than that, “they urgently pleaded” with Paul for “the privilege of sharing in this service.” Think about that! This wasn’t Paul urgently pleading with them to give. This was the reverse! They wanted desperately to be part this giving, to help their brothers and sisters in Jerusalem, and to honor God. They counted this sacrificial giving as an honor, it was a blessing to them to give, even when it hurt them financially.
That is pretty radical isn’t it? As you read these verses how does this encourage and/or challenge you this morning? Is God calling you to be generous in an area of your life, or with someone in your life? Does the fact that your “gift” would be “small” ever keep you from being generous? Is it hard to be generous with a joyful heart? As we read the Word of God we can allow it to shape how we think, how we see the world, and the affections of our heart. Let’s ask God to teach us his generosity towards those around us!
Author: Christian Dunn
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