2 Corinthians 8:1-4
Giving
We want you to know, brothers, about the
grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a
severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty
have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means,
as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us
earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints.
In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul wrote to the church in
Achaia, southern Greece, about the unexpected giving of the believers in
Macedonia, northern Greece. The regions of Philippi, Thessalonika and Berea
were poor due to the administration and taxation of the Romans, and yet in
their joy the churches willingly shared what they had toward the work of God.
Paul is of course saying that the church gave
their money, but he calls it God’s grace. When have we ever thought about our money or the
things we have as God’s
grace? Grace is an unexpected, overwhelming and undeserved gift, and at the
heart of the gift is the intention. God gave to us this way. He gave us His “first fruits,” both His precious and perfect son,
and He gave us the ministry of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:23). God gave us all He had to give and did
not spare anything for our benefit. God’s grace is amazing and He did it willingly not because we deserve
it but because He loves us and we desperately needed it. These churches who gave sacrificially
to Paul and his companions for their work had experienced God’s grace and treasured it. It was this
very grace that was their joy and they could not help but be grace-givers in
response.
They gave their “first fruits” as God gave His. They were not just poor but extremely
poor. This would be a perfect excuse to withhold from God for a time, just
until things get better and there is some extra lying around. But their poverty
and trials were seen through the filter of their abundant joy, and the truth of God’s work in their lives was far greater than their lack of
material possessions. Their decision to give was not an obligation to them but
they saw it as an honor to serve God in this way.
We learn about our own faith from this passage.
Do we understand the grace that has been given to us; what it cost and what it
means? Do we live as grace-givers in response? And we learn about the character
of God. The widow who gave her two coins to
the temple offering box in Luke 21 gave only a small amount compared to others.
Likewise the Macedonian church’s gifts were not huge (they gave according to their means),
but like the widow they gave from their heart (beyond their means). The world will measure a gift by its
size but God measures our gifts by the sacrifice they require. He is looking
for His grace at work in us.
Lisa Hassing, 18 years at Hope Church and is a women's Bible Study Leader.
No comments:
Post a Comment