"And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very 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 Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich "2 Cor. 8: 1-9
To day we had our Self Denial Altar Service and the above portion of Scripture was used. Paul used the Macedonian Christians as example of human giving. It was certainly sacrificial giving. They were poor and suffering persecution. Yet in their poverty and affliction they gave sacrificially, yes beyond their ability.
One verse really struck me - "they gave themselves first to the Lord..." The grace of giving begins there - the giving of ourselves first. In other words their giving was the outward manifestation of their total dedication to God. Someone put it this way, "The crowning point of their generosity was their complete surrender."
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