Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is!
Our devotion for this month comes from 2 Corinthians chapter 8 verses 1-6 and it reads as follows…
“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. 6 So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part.“
The Macedonian churches gave credence to an old idiom —“put your money where your mouth is!” If you say you love the Lord, give! I would also remind you of the words spoken by Apostle Paul which Luke records in Acts chapter twenty, “it’s more blessed to give than to receive.”
Yes, just as the Macedonian churches experienced severe trials and poverty as noted in verse 2, we also will have circumstances in our lives that could justify why we cannot give to kingdom causes. However, a true love for God compels one to give sacrificially beyond one’s own ability without prodding or coercion as demonstrated by the Macedonian churches who gave of their own free will. Yes saints, giving is never measured in the amount, but rather by the attitude one has in giving, —for God loves a cheerful giver, and a cheerful giver adores God.
The selflessness of generous giving permits one to look past their own needs, while allowing one to look upon the needs of another. Even though the Macedonian churches did not have much in substance, they were rich in sacrifice. They sought not self-preservation but rather the sharing of one’s resources to bring relief to others. I challenge you to do the same, —look not upon your own goals, plans, needs, or wants, but look upon your act of worship towards God and be a spontaneous, generous giver.
No one may ever know your name personally, like those in the Macedonian churches, but God is not unjust to forget the love you have shown towards Him by serving His people. As recipients of God’s generous grace towards us in salvation, let us partner with Him to serve the people of His kingdom. Let us plan to be intentional about spontaneous, generous giving!
