Day 12 – 2 Corinthians 8:1-8

Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well. But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also. I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also.^[1]

There is so much argumentation in the church about giving. People often feel coerced to give, or manipulated to give. The Spirit of God can be flowing freely in the service and as soon as the appeal is given the flow cease. What is it about money that causes us to want to hoard it as much as we possibly can? Perhaps a better question would be what is it about the grace of giving that would move someone to give out of their poverty? This is precisely what happened in the province of Macedonia. Under intense pressure, struggling greatly so as to be pushed to their limit, these people, these churches gave far more than they could afford. In fact, according to Paul, they pleaded with him for the privilege of giving. Wow! Would that such a scenario evidence itself in our day. How could they do this?

Paul answers the question simply and directly. They could give in this fashion because they first gave themselves to God and to the Apostle. Could it be that in giving themselves to God they came to understand that everything they had was a gift from Him? Could it be that they understood the principle of sowing and reaping, or could it simply be that they were so in love with the Lord that there was nothing they would not do for Him and for the man of God who introduced them? Jesus taught, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Could it be it was such a privilege to give and easy to give because they found their treasure?

Gracious God, You are awesome in Your ways. We cannot even begin to extol You for all the marvelous things You do and have done for us. Our love for You overflows in great joy. Yet we confess we are not like these saints in Macedonia. We want to be like them but find it difficult to release our attachment to the material possessions we have accumulated. We are filled with shame to admit that when it comes to giving we become suspicious, stingy, and even paranoid that someone is trying to manipulate us. Forgive us for our lack of trust. Forgive us for our lack of faith in Your Word. Develop in us today a zeal like that of the Macedonians so that the work of Your Kingdom might be advanced and that You might be glorified. Amen.

^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), 2 Co 8:1–8.